Eirflower
by Lady.Alexandra
Summary: Accepting the request of a dying goddess led Alexandra to a world of super heroes and aliens she thought only existed in movies. She has a mission: Save the universe and the idiots that live in it. (Oc/si-travels to the MCU) future romance. OCx?
1. The beginning of my end

**Hello, first of all, Happy holidays! This is my first avenger's fic so please be gentle with your critics. I had so much fun writing this and I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do. Reviews are appreciated, taken into consideration and happily received.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **(Edited: 16/01/2019)**

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 **Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.**

– **Francis of Assisi.**

* * *

There was a soothing voice, warm like coffee, sweet as honey and smooth as butter whispering in her mind, prompting her to wake from her slumber. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell she was in a bright room judging by the slight ardor in her retinas, her mouth was dry, as if she had swallowed a handful of sand and most of it had gotten stuck in her larynx. She glided her tongue along the inside of her mouth, the sensation reminded her of the rough sandpaper used to polish wood, then came her lips, they were dry and chapped, sealed in a thin line, refusing to say anything to the man in front of her.

She opened her eyes, closing them almost immediately when the Led lights burned her sensitive retinas. Breathing came next, painful choking breaths filled her lungs as if it was the first time she did such a thing. Her disoriented gaze settled in the other occupant of the room, and she tensed, though she did not know why her body reacted like that.

He was a pirate? No, not a pirate, his clothes were too modern to fit that role, maybe he was a crazy man who kidnapped her, that made more sense, hence why her wrists were bound to the metal table. Still, that wasn't it, he looked like the guy from Matrix, what was his name again?

Something in her peripheral vision caught her attention, and she swallowed noticeably at the sight of a glass of water resting innocently next to her left hand. Even without moving her arms, she knew she wouldn't be able to reach it, so it was most likely placed there to torture her.

She continued her blatant staring at the man, trying to find answers in her dizzy brain was becoming impossible in her current state, how did she ended up here in the first place? He also stared at her, though his gaze was more blank and stern than anything she could ever muster. He leaned closer, pushing her even further into her seat, forcing her to recoil in her chair; cold metal met the bare skin of her shoulders momentarily distracting her from the man moving lips.

She must looked very confused, because he started talking again, not breaking eye contact and taking satisfaction in the way her own gaze clouded with fear.

"What are you?" he asked slowly, each word pronounced in a way that made her feel insulted at his tone.

She eyed the glass again, hoping her eyes could convey what her voice could not.

If he noticed her silent plea, he simply ignored it "I hate repeating myself." he muttered in a bored voice.

She opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a whistling sound.

She jolted awake, jumping from her couch tumbling around with the blanket till she landed ungracefully in her wooden floor, it creaked loudly at the sudden weight but it made no other sign of giving in. She really needed to start saving money to fix that or one day she'll found herself buried all the way to her waist in the middle of her freaking living room. She stood, placing a hand in her chest feeling the rapid beating of her heart starting to slow down as she eyed her second-hand furniture.

Now she was positive her couch was possessed or at least housed an evil energy, because every darn time she fell asleep there, she ended up having horrible nightmares, except that one time she dreamed she was the president, but one good dream against 8 horrible ones, it wasn't really up to discussion.

So, chained in a room with Fury, was that her kink? Ew, she rather not, or she'll have to kink shame herself. This sentence, this was the worse her brain could ever produce.

Her wall clock marked 4:12 am, or was it 4:14 am? She really couldn't tell from the distance and squinting her eyes wasn't really helping her decipher the tiny dots, so she just settled with the time being way too early (or late, depending on of one point of view) to start making breakfast. She sighed as she bent to pick up and fold her discharged tiger blanket, next came her DIY cushions and finally she kicked her nightmare inducing evil couch for good measure. The rest of her living room was a bit of a mess, mostly because she was in the middle of her weekly movie marathon before she fell asleep.

A black empty DVDs carcass (that she had totally acquired _legally_ ) peeked through a mountain wraps of her favorite milk chocolate, and she suddenly felt like slapping herself when her memory came back at her. She had woken up super early yesterday to open the bakery and finish the Clark's wedding cake, just so she could be home before 9 pm to start her movie marathon early, so she could finally watch the iron man trilogy and hopefully catch up to Thor since she never seen the first two movies. She was very excited for today's movies, but she ended up asleep after the second iron man movie ended.

To her defense, wedding season was no joke in her town, so she was very overworked and tired. Yep, that definitely made her feel better (not really) but what else could she do? It was her fault for ignoring her friend recommendation for so long because she was busy pretending she was a pro surgeon in progress watching Grey's anatomy only to end up heartbroken after Derek Shepherd died, so she had resorted to watch infinity war to placate her friend incessant nagging. Though she also ended up with her heart broken, that had been the beginning of her current obsession. She had a lot of catch up to do, and she was taking advantage of her holiday break to free fall directly into Marvel's a-hole.

Her phone screen lit up as the infamous whistle broke through the silence once again signaling a new message from her best friend Kathleen. She could still remember Kat's angry face when she had changed the tone to match her phone preferences, "I'm surprised your battery lasted long enough to change it." had been her deadpan answer.

She unlocked her phone, quickly reading the message before typing a simple reply.

 **"Come. Cake emergency"**

 **"K. be there in 10"**

She slipped on her sneakers, they were a bit dirty with mud from the rain of this morning, but she couldn't care less as she grabbed her keys, her bag and tied her hoodie around her waist. Cake emergency usually means something was horribly wrong and that mostly resulted in her walking home covered in pastry cream and flour covering her hair and clothes, not something she was keen to repeat any time soon.

She walked through the desolated streets mentally singing random songs to calm her nerves, even with dawn approaching the town seemed more quiet than usual. She fastened her pace and secure her grip in her pocket knife, " _ **Lowest crime rate my ass.**_ " she thought as she saw a black figure emerged to the other edge of the sidewalk. She looked down trying to be invisible whilst jogging to the bakery.

He noticed that, and he, too, starter to jog at her. The yellow street lights did a wonderful job in highlighting the glistening metal he held in his hand.

She froze for a second before adrenaline kicked in, and she ran the remaining distance to the bakery. She collided with the glass door, trembling hands trying to push it open, but it was locked, so she banged her fist loudly.

"Kathleen!" She screamed hoarsely, "Help!"

At this point she was a crying mess, her mind couldn't even produce a simple prayer to save her poor soul, so she turned to face him, gripping her pocket knife tightly hoping her 20 minutes judo tutorials kicked in to save her ass.

He was running now, shortening the distance in mere seconds. _**5 more meters**_. She thought grimly before she was yanked inside by a strong grip.

The bell that usually announced a customer's arrival rang loudly before falling to the ground as the door was closed in the man's face. He pressed a gloved finger against the glass, his breath helping him create a canvas in the unstained glass. " _You._ " he wrote, and pointed at her.

Kathleen snarled at him and pulled out her phone, "You'll regret this crazy bastard! I'll make sure you rot in prison!" she screamed with anger filled screams, though she could detect a slight trembling in her friend's voice.

A pair of arms encircled her, forming a protecting barrier between her and the door as Kathleen dialed the 3 digit number that would put an end to this nightmare. How funny, earlier tonight she'd thought being chained in a room with Nick Fury was scary, well, her past self hadn't experienced trough terror until today.

Kat helped her to her feet, and handed her a glass of water that she downed in one gulp. A quiet knock startled her again, and she turned only to face the apologetic gaze of two officers.

It could be worse, really. She told herself trying to reduce her trauma, she'll deal with this later. Now she needed to put a brave face to retell the story, once she was finished and Kathleen was busy talking to one of the officers when the remaining one _"Martinez"_ turned to her, "I guess you're not looking to become an officer anytime soon?" he had said so casually that it made her physically take a step back with wide eyes.

"W-What?" she stuttered in disbelieve.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" the other officer hissed, elbowing his partner as he gave her another apologetic smile, though this time it faltered when Martinez said nothing. He cleared his throat and guided his partner to the door. "Call us again if you see anything suspicious, have a good day ma'am."

"Well, at least we know who's not the good cop." Kathleen said, glaring at their retreating forms.

After a second of silence, she spoke with a voice too hoarse to be her own. "What did you need?"

Kat visibly jumped, "What?"

"Cake emergency," She lifted an eyebrow "Your text?"

She shook her head in disapproval, "you can't be serious Alex!" she walked to the back, already putting on her apron. "You almost died." she whispered the last part still in disbelieve.

"I'm alive, "she shrugged imitating her friend actions "and I need my paycheck to keep living."

"You know I can talk to my grandma, I'm sure she wouldn't mind…" she trailed off, unsure.

Alex shook her head, they both knew Kat's grandma would definitively mind if the Clark's wedding cake wasn't in perfect condition by tomorrow, and Alex also knew she wasn't the old hag favorite worker, the only reason she allowed it was because she was, (not to brag) wonderful with her work. One of the reason they had so many clients this season was because of her, and the hag knew it, though that didn't stop her to criticize Alex with every breath she took.

"So, what happened?"

Kat looked down, embarrassed as she cracked the eggs for the mixture "I lost my footing and ruined a good chunk of the flowers you did."

She nodded, that could be fixed. "I'll be done quicker than quicksilver," she lightly joked. "Just make sure to add the right amount of dye, I don't want a mismatched array of flowers."

"Aye boss!" she gave her a mock salute, and after adding two drops of blue and one of red, she turned to Alex smiling "Wouldn't it be really cool if spider man had come to your rescue?"

She snorted at that, creating an uneven petal that she removed before answering "Maguire or Holland?

Kathleen beamed at that "Let's play fuck, marry and kill avenger's edition," she cleared her throat as she grabbed a whisk to use as a microphone. "Today's contestant is Miss Alexandra, she's 19 single and ready to mingle!" she paused to fake cheer at her introduction. "We'll start easy for this first round, so Miss Alexandra, who would you fuck, marry and kill, Your first options is America sweetheart and well known dumbass, Captain America!"

Alex laughed, this time being more careful and stopping the pressure in the piping bag. "Who else?"

"We also have Loki prince of Asgard if you're into some dark shit, if you know what I mean," she said, pausing to wink suggestively "And finally, the man of iron, the genius, the playboy and philanthropist Mr. Anthony Stark!"

She looked up with and sighed "that's a tough one." she said, grabbing her own whisk and smiled "I'll fuck Steve, kill Loki-"

At her words, Kat gasped in surprise, "Why? You're not into being a princess?"

"If I fucked Loki, he'll probably kill me after it, and Steve is a nice man, he'll probably hug me afterwards." she shot back, looking smug at her analysis.

"Don't tell me you'll marry Tony? Dude, I didn't know you liked them old, I have a single, forty-something uncle if you're interested"

"Uncle Gavin?" she asked and Kat nodded eagerly "Isn't he the one that doesn't blink?"

"Yep, his record is 7 minutes, and he never cries after it." She said sounding too proud for something like that.

Alex smirked "I think I'll pass."

"Shame, you could've been my aunt." She said, pretending to be hurt at her rejection "So, why Tony?" she asked with a more serious voice.

Her smiled widened "I bet he has really fast WI-Fi."

* * *

7:47 am, she was done literally minutes before the bakery opened and the Clarks came to pick up their cake. She shook their hands and smiled before she politely excused herself and left. Kathleen had convinced her that everything would be fine, and that she would talk and convince her grandma to give her the day off to fully rest. Also, Andres, (one of the bakers) was kind enough to give her a lift to her house.

Once inside, she collapsed in her evil couch not caring if she dreamed with Fury again, she had experienced true, raw horror and nothing could top that. Or so she thought.

She closed her eyes and was transported to a white room of some sorts. The ground below her feet was soft and mushy, like earth after a rainy day. Her bare feet walked thought it, enjoying the sensation, she looked down and found a trail of flowers forming in front of her. Tulips, carnations, daisies and gerberas filled her vision, the beauty of it pushed her to keep walking.

The white room started to make sense as she walked further into the path, she was literally walking in a cloud. A freaking, fluffy white cloud covered in her favorite's flowers. It was decided, this was her best dream sponsored by her evil couch, screw being president; she could walk this path all day and never get tired of it.

"I'm glad you think as such" Said a disembodied voice.

She stopped abruptly, taking in her surroundings, it felt familiar to her, but she didn't know why. The cloud shook with vigor as thick roots and leaves erupted out of it, the bark came next, covered in an array of white flowers she'd never seen before. They seemed to glint with a pure golden light the closer she got.

"Come closer," the voice demanded.

She obeyed, entranced by the sweet voice. She had heard it before, but where?

Out of the flowers, emerged a woman's face. Her skin was pale and dull, complimenting her chapped lips and hollow expression. Her face was framed by long, wavy red curls that darkened at the base with her blood and blue eyes seemed as lifeless as the rest of her.

Alex gasped as she closed their distance, struggling to form a coherent sentence "Are you okay miss?"

At that, the woman laughed good naturally as the flowers parted to reveal the rest of her battered body. Her silver uniform was covered in gashes, mud and dry blood, also her right side was oozing a blood in her lap and boots. Alex crawled to her side, hoping her wasted hours watching Grey's anatomy would come handy for once. "I can h-help."

"Hush now, dear, I'm dying and there's nothing you can do about that. I have since long accepted my fate. Hela awaits for me"

Now it was her turn to be pale, she was witnessing someone's death, and she could do nothing about it.

"There's something you can do, though it would do nothing to prevent the inevitable," she announced just as calmly as before. "I've been watching you little pumpkin, you are very innocent despite everything, your soul has not been tainted by darkness and your spirit is unbreakable. I asked Heimdall to find someone like you, and he surpassed my standards."

She blushed at the praise, "I'm nothing special." she tried to brush it off.

"You are not," The woman agreed, Alex bit the inside of her cheek slightly disappointed, so much for surpassing her expectation. "But you don't have to be special to make changes, every little action counts."

Alex nodded, not fully understanding, until a thought hit her "Wait, you said Heimdall? As in _I see everything in the universe Heimdall?_ "

She smiled, her chapped lips bleeding from it, but she didn't seem to care. "That would be him, yes."

Alex took a step back, fumbling with her words, then she stopped "Your clothes, you're a Valkyrie!"

"Indeed I was, little pumpkin. Long before the universe, even though about creating you, I was already by the Allfather and Queen Frigga's side. I'm called Eir, the goddess of health and healing, one of the handmaiden of Queen Frigga's and Valkyrie of Asgard at your service."

"Something tells me your humbling down your introduction."

"You are very amusing my little pumpkin, yet you speak the truth. I'm afraid I have been running out of time long before I even noticed." She let out a sigh, releasing a breeze that gently caressed Alex cheeks in comfort. "You have knowledge not even Asgard wisest scholars could ever come across of."

"I don't know it all" she interjected "I barely watched the avengers movie, I haven't watched Thor trilogy, only Ragnarok, I-"

"Ragnarok? You've seen the downfall of Asgard?" For the first time she sounded desperate. "This further deepens my purpose. Stop doubting yourself, you have enough knowledge to save millions of lives. You are enough" There was a finality in her tone that Alex didn't like. "Besides, I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"My dear, you are no longer part of the realm of the living. You lost your life yesterday, at 4:49 am of Midgardian time by the hand of the man you saw."

"That's not possible!" she rose abruptly "I-we called the police, I hugged Kathleen and I fixed the cake, we-"

"No."

She scrunched her face in confusion "No?

"I let you believe that, I'm not only the goddess of physical healing, but the mind realms are also under my jurisdiction. I wanted you to bid goodbye to your dear friend."

Alex sniffed and looked away "Will she ever be okay?"

"I made sure of that, she'll mourn your loss but her smile wouldn't disappear forever."

She nodded numbly, deciding to change the topic, "I am no goddess."

"And you will not be one, for the Allfather is the only one with the power to grant such a gift, but I will give you the power of one. Hereby, I, Lady Eir of Lyfjaberg, Valkyrie of Asgard, protector of the nine realms, Goddess of health and healing concede my gift upon you Lady Alexandra of Midgard for I consider you worthy of bearing the mark of a Valkyrie, no dying men shall perish under your hand for I forbid it. My mind will join yours and my knowledge will be yours to bear. Your hands will no longer be frails and untrained, no sword would be ashamed to serve under you and the finest horses will be mounted by you; and with my dying breath I promise you, Lady Alexandra that I will look after your wellbeing from Valhalla. May the Allfather bless your ways my little pumpkin, I trust you'll do well."

As soon as those words left her mouth, her blue eyes faded to a milky blue and the sound of her labored breath stopped altogether. A white flower sprouted from Lady Eir chest. _**"An Eirflower."**_ her mind provided. It glowed with a pure gold light, and she gently plucked it.

The stem wrapped itself around her forearm and a burning sensation invaded her. She blinked and the flower disappeared, leaving behind a Valkyrie tattoo, though it looked more like a birthmark.

She closed her eyes and she welcomed the foreign sensation. A pulsing pain flourished in her head and the sound of multiple voices talking made her want to scream yet no words came. She was experiencing the same pain she had felt in her dream. A gasp caught in her throat as she realized that she was also experiencing the pain Lady Eir been feeling for heavens know how long. Tears welled in her eyes and she was suddenly falling.

She jerked awake hitting her brow with something hard and cold and metallic sounding. She peered her eyes open and gasped at the sight that greeted. Alex was in a filthy alley, clutching her bag for dear life, cold and afraid, resting against a dumpster. It was a dream, she was alive and well and-

A grunting sound coming from her left startled her. A man was next to her, bruised and reeking of whiskey.

She hesitantly approached him and turned his face towards her.

Well, shit. Tony freaking Stark was her alley companion.


	2. Hitman

**(Published: 31/12/2018)**

 **(Edited:18/01/2019)**

 **Eirflower**

 **Chapter 2:**

 **Reviews:**

 **Sakura Hatsu:I literally screamed when I read your review! It made me so happy to read it. Your encouragement motivated me to write this second chapter as fast as I could. Thank you!**

 **TheManyFacesOfAnon: thank you! I'm glad you liked it.**

 **Guest: Thank you guest. This fic is my baby now and I have so many ideas for it, this is just the beginning.**

 **I'm so delighted for the amazing response this had for the short amount of time since I posted it. Thank you for the follows and favs, and obviously the reviews. It made me so happy to know you guys are enjoying this a much as I am.**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing, just Alex.**

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 **Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself.**

 **-Henry James**

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After what seemed like an eternity, Alex finally calmed down enough to approach Tony. One hesitant hand rested in his chest whilst the other was placed in his forehead. He was breathing steadily and the gash in his brows seemed to be a few days old, besides that, he looked alright. A thin coat of sweat covered his face and the smell of whiskey grew stronger when his mouth fell open forcing her to cover her nose. This is not how she pictured their first meeting, all she wanted was a super heroic and cool meeting, with her easily impressing Tony with her super Valkyrie abilities, but no, the universe must hate her, because she got a dirty alley, an unconscious Tony and, she was a hundred percent sure that a rat just ran past her.

Alex bit her lip, she needed to drag him out of here before a mugger or a junkie jumped at them, and now she wasn't feeling too brave to fight or face anyone. All her energy was going to be focused on getting them out here, heal Tony and call someone, preferably Pepper. Happy probably would be more suspicious of her, since she looked like a hobo. In fact, she must really look like a runaway teen with her dirty sneakers and the big hoodie, and to top it all off, one could tell her bag had seen better days.

Step number one, fix Tony. She lifted her hand and paused, how did she activated the healing thingy? Lady Eir said her knowledge would meet with hers, but so far her brain was filled with pastry recipes and the avenger's theme song. Maybe if she closed her eyes? No, too cliché. She sucked a breath and placed two fingers in the gash, nothing happened right away, and she was ready to remove them when a purplish light coated the tip of her fingers and the wound disappeared, even the bluish tint of an old bruise was gone, leaving his face as flawless as it could be.

Amazing, she was amazing! Never in her life she would've thought of being capable of something like this, something so magical and- and it was _hers._ "Thank you Lady Eir" she whispered before positioning herself behind Tony and putting her arms under his armpits to start dragging him away. He was surprisingly light, (though this was probably another effect of Lady Eir powers) as she dragged him out of the alley. She was expecting to see the tall and imposing buildings of New York, instead, they were surrounded by smaller and not so modern looking buildings. The sound of a party could be heard nearby, and she deduced Tony was there before fainting in the alley.

She frowned, that didn't make sense. After he created the Iron man suit Tony slowly started to change his lifestyle, unless; she looked down at his hair and was surprised to see a full head of black hair, not a single gray hair peeked through, and she wanted to scream. _Please let it be dyed,_ Alex silently prayed as she dragged him away from the noise and possible people who could report her as an assailant. Dear goodness, she could already picture her mug shot along the headline _**"Young homeless woman tries to assault billionaire Anthony Stark-"**_ Thinking like that wouldn't do her no good.

Thank goodness it was nighttime and no one was walking around to see her. Still, she didn't want to tempt her luck, so as soon as a bench came into her sight she wasted no time in dropping him there and search his pocket to find his phone. Yup, she totally looked like a robber now.

"Bingo!" she pulled the small device and pressed the middle button, the screen lit up showing a finger scan, and she groaned. Hastily, she grabbed his right hand and pressed his thumb on the screen successfully unlocking it. She scrolled down the favorite contacts list until she found Pepper's number, well or what she assumed was Pepper's, judging by the amount of missed calls.

For good measure, she used Tony's finger to press the contact, better be safe than sorry. She waited exactly ten seconds when a feminine voice greeted her from the other side of the line.

"You know how many times I've called you-"

"Hello" Alex interrupted her scolding.

"Hello" Pepper said distrustfully, lowering her voice, "Who are you? And what are you doing with Mr Stark phone?" she said in a more accusing tone.

She leaned back on the bench "I'm Alex, I found Mr Stark passed out in an alley, so I called you to ask for help"

A pause, a deep intake of air, and then she spoke "Where are you?"

"I have no idea," she admitted and Pepper sighed "But there's a coffee shop in front us, it's called," she frowned, squinting her eyes "Marko's corner or something like that, we are sitting on a bench next to a lamppost" she described vaguely, it wasn't her fault she had no idea where she was.

At that moment Tony grunted, startling her as she moved away from him to give him some space.

Pepper seemed to hear this, because Alex hear her tapping her screen hastily before talking "Someone will pick you up, stay there, " she muttered the last sentence as a warning, _**try anything funny and you'll regret it**_ , was left unsaid, but Alex knew better and opted to rot herself on the bench and wait for whoever Pepper sent after them.

She blocked the phone and put it back at Tony's pocket. There, it was done, he'll be fine now, technically she was free to leave, but she was sure Pepper or Tony himself would like to question her, and to be honest, she kind of wanted to go, because, when was she going to get another chance like this? Possibly never, so she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could.

Next to her, Tony jolted awake, grunting and rubbing his eyes as he peered one eye open to survey the area. Confusion overtook his features, so she decided that was her cue to talk.

"Hey," she said and cringed internally, she sounded so lame. "I'm Alex, I found you in an alley" She truly deserved a prize for being the most tactless person in history.

"Are you a hobo?" he asked, frowning, his face inching closer "There's no need to mug me, all you needed to do was ask," He stopped talking to fish something out of his pocket and handed to her. "This is my buddy Benjamin, take care of him." He patted her in the back and stood, leaving her speechless holding the bill as he walked away.

She jumped to her feet, shoving the bill in her back pocket as she ran to catch him "Wait! Mr Stark I've already called your assistant, she told me to stay here or else…" she paused for dramatic effect, giving him a puppy look. "I don't want to get in trouble."

He regarded her with a lifted eyebrow, "And how, did you do that? Because I'm sure I'm only one who can access my phone."

"Oh, it was easy, I used your finger to unlock it," she said, managing to sound smug of her achievement. "I assumed your assistant's number was the one with the multiple missed calls."

He scratched his beard in contemplation and his eyes narrowed "So, you mean to tell me you deduced all that because of my reputation?"

She fidgeted and hung her head, she was about to answer when a horn interrupted her. A fancy black car pulled over next to them and two men stepped out, their hands resting at the side on their hips as they walked over. They studied her appearance with disdain and one of them, (the tallest) and closest to her pulled out his phone.

Tony waved a hand dismissively, "It's alright, and she didn't do anything illegal to me, unless you count hacking into my private phone as an offense?" He gave her a pointed look and placed a hand on her shoulders, guiding her to the car as she fought the urge to escape.

She no longer wanted to meet Tony Stark.

* * *

Alex was thrust inside the car with Tony blocking the door as he also stepped in, smirking at her. "So, what's your sob story? He asked once he was properly seated and a glass of whiskey was handed to him. "Ran away from home with a boyfriend? Probably named something stupid like Scotty or Todd, then you found out he was a good for nothing and you need more than love to survive so you left and turns out, one day as you walked around in the middle of the night, surprise! You found a passed out billionaire and, instead of doing the obvious thing and mug him, you choose to call his assistant, so he could arrive home safely and ta-da you are awarded with a lot of cash so you're set for life," He turned to face her and was surprised when he realized she had lowered her head and was clenching the hem of her hoodie. "Did I hit a nerve?"

She shook her head, "No, Mr Stark," she said quietly so only Tony could hear her. "You couldn't be more wrong, I choose to help you because this world is full of horrible people and I wanted to help you," she raised her chin, smirked and felt the need to say "besides, I doubt the rats knew how to work your phone." Tony's mentions of lots of money reminded her of the wrinkled bill in her pocket, so she slammed it in his thigh, "You can keep your buddy Benjamin, I'm not good at making new friends, and, have you considered writing soap operas? Because that history you just made up, would be a total success in South America, especially Mexico, I hear they're really into that dramatic shit." She shot back earning an amused look from Tony that transformed in a breathy laugh.

"You hear that Happy? She thinks I'll be an amazing scriptwriter!"

Happy shot him a look through the rear-view, "We're here boss."

She hadn't even noticed the car had started moving, she needed to pay more attention to her surroundings.

Tony clapped his hands, "Get out kid, we have lots of talking to do."

She pursed her lips, "why?"

"Well, for once I not sure if you stole the info from my phone and two, you could be an undercover hitman plotting to kill me or something." he said too casually for the grade of his accusations.

She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling nervous "Fair point." she conceded before stepping out.

She blinked multiple times to make sure she wasn't having a vision. Alex was standing right in front of the Malibu house, meaning Tony wasn't even the Iron man, yet or knew about alien races or S.H.I.E.L.D, and here she was, next to him about to be questioned of her sob story.

"You look a little pale." he pointed out "Never seen a house before?" He teased a little as he started walking.

"Not one like this, its breathtaking." she lied smoothly to mask her reaction before following Tony inside.

But as soon as she stepped in, Alex realized the word breathtaking didn't do it justice. The Malibu house, was the perfect mix between modern, technological and aesthetic. She'd seen in before in the movies, but standing literally in the middle of it was a new experience. She resisted the urge to call for Jarvis as they made their way to Tony's workshop.

They were briefly intersected by Pepper, who looked like she just woken up, so Alex felt the need to apologize to her, but the woman only smiled a little and shook her head, "There's no need for that, Thank you for calling. I know Mr Stark can be a bit handful." She extended her hand and Alex gladly shook it "I'm Pepper Potts, pleasure to meet you Alex."

"The pleasure is mine, Ms Potts" She responded in what she hoped, was a pleased voice.

"Get her something to eat Peps, we'll be downstairs" Tony intervened "Come kid, we have lots of talking to do.

However, lots of talking turned into a staring contest until she looked away to stare at Dum-e. What could she say, he had a strong gaze. Tony sat at his desk, distrust filling his gaze as he placed his phone under a machine that resembled an x-ray machine and ordered Jarvis to scan it for any possible copied files or stolen data, basically any sign that proved she had helped him under other reasons besides just wanting to help him.

Alex felt sorry for him, he was used to people using him for their own gain, except Pepper and Rhodey, and herself, of course, though that depended on in Mr Stark himself.

A blue light shone from the machine before a disembodied British voice informed them, that in fact, the device remained untouched, besides the recent call made to Miss Potts there was no other sign of Alex presence in his phones, but that didn't ease his accusatory stare.

He folded his arms as a line appeared in his brow "What's your real name?"

She blinked, not expecting that question "My name's Alex, short for Alexandra."

He sized her up for the hundred times, and his mouth twitched to fight down a smirk "Who do you work for?"

She glanced up to the ceiling, praying to any deity that dared to listen, to give the strength to deal with this, "I work for no one, How you went from thinking I was homeless to think I'm a hitman?" she asked in exasperation.

Tony grinned and his eyes glinted in delight "I never said you were a hitman."

She huffed in response "You did, in the car. I remembered because I thought I'd look funny with a bald head and a suit." she shrugged offhandedly.

His grin disappeared and his lip set in a thin line. "Look, we're going nowhere with this whole questioning thing, so why don't you take this," he slid a folded paper in her direction which she grabbed reluctantly "and forget any of this happened." he advised, seeming done with their conversation.

Slowly, she unfolded the paper and was not surprised to find a check. She blinked twice, to make sure she was reading the amount correctly, a whole $3.000 for herself. That was, without a doubt the biggest amount of money she ever had to her name, too bad she wouldn't accept it.

"I told you I'm not good at making new friends," she said, folding the paper again, "It doesn't matter if you introduce me to Chester check or Carlos cash, I'm not taking any money from you. I didn't help you hoping for a monetary compensation." She said, mustering all her sincerity in her voice.

Sadly, that didn't convince him either "I'm willing to raise the amount, C'mon kid name your price. A house? A car? Name it and it's yours."

She hunched, a defeated sigh escaping her lips as her eyes welled up "You just don't get it, do you? You don't have to give me money to pay off whatever imaginary debt you made up, I'm okay with just your gratitude, I-"

"Seriously, who do you work for?" cause I don't believe this whole Mother Teresa act you're trying to pull off."

Alex gave a bitter laugh, clenching the check harder before she tore in half, leaving the pieces to fall to the ground and a stunned Tony behind. She halted in her steps, making him believe she regretted her decision, but when she looked over her shoulder, he had to force himself to maintain his stare.

"I'm sorry for you Tony, it must be hard knowing people only talk to you to get something for themselves, and I might be many things, but greedy and ill intended aren't one of those. Have a nice day, Mr Stark, and if I were you, I'll take a double take in my so-called friends."

And with that she was gone, storming out of the workshop almost colliding with Pepper in her haste. The woman grabbed Alex elbow, taking notice of her glossed eyes, momentarily forgetting about the plate she was carrying she squeezed Alex arm in reassurance, "What happened?"

Alex shook her head and discarded Pepper gentle touch, "I'm leaving. It was nice meeting you Ms Potts."

"Alex wait-"Pepper called, but she was already gone. With a sigh, she dropped the plate on the console table, not caring if the heat would damage the polished wood before walking as fast as her heels allowed her to in the direction of the workshop where she found her boss sitting in his desk with a thoughtful look planted on his face as his eyes glared at the ground.

Understanding dawned on her, approaching her boss slowly she spoke "You offered her money, and she rejected it." she quickly deduced.

Tony turned at her, and Pepper was filled with confusion, "Mr Stark, your face is flawless."

He snorted, amused with her words as smirk adorned his lips "Took you long enough to notice, we can-"

"Is not that," she interrupted him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes "The gash in your brow is gone, the bruise too." she said handing him the spoon she was still holding from Alex's uneaten meal.

He lifted a hand, touching the area he knew was scarred, but felt nothing but smooth skin, even with the slight distortion of his reflection, he could clearly see that Pepper was right, his face _was flawless._

"I still had them yesterday when I left," he muttered more to himself, but she still nodded.

A few seconds passed and they both shared a look.

"Jarvis, I need you to find information about a girl around 16 to 20, name's Alexandra, 5.6, short black hair, brown eyes." he said listing everything he could remember about the girl.

" _I found a list of 200 girls in the Malibu area, sir._ " came the AI's voice.

He nodded "Show it to me."

* * *

Alex wanted to smack herself. Hard, preferably with a rock or something just as hard. She had literally walked away from Tony Stark, future superhero and her only possible link to the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. First day as Lady Eir's chosen one, and she was already failing. She grunted and smacked her coffee against the plastic table, a couple next to her gave her weird looks, but besides that they continued their discussions as if she wasn't there.

She was sitting in Marko's corner, and despite their slogan _**"The best coffee in Malibu.**_ " she was sure she had better coffee prepared by Kat's grandma, and the hag hated her guts, and it was also very pricey for such a horrible drink. Alex wanted her $5 back, her funds were in the meager amount of $37 plus the cent she found outside near the entrance, so she was not in the most desirable situation to waste her money like that, but somehow she ended up walking back there, and a warm cup of delicious coffee sounded nice, and they also had WI-Fi. Which she was using to find any sorts of shelter or any place she could stay until she found a job.

This is not how she imagined her first day would be.

She sipped her drink again, making a face when her phone was taken from her unsuspecting hand. Alex opened her mouth to kindly tell her attacker to give it back, but she closed it as soon as she recognized Tony Stark himself standing in front of her in a coffee shop that sold the worst version on the drink she ever tasted in her life. He looked more put together than he did before, he had even changed to a more casual outfit with plain AC/DC shirts with jeans and still managed to look more presentable than her.

In Alex defense, she had a rough night, even more than him.

"You said you weren't homeless." He said as he took a seat across from her, still scrolling down her phone with an unreadable face.

"I never said that," she retorted quickly, "I just don't have a place to stay."

"That's the definition of homeless, kid." His tone was serious yet amused, he gave it one last look before he pocketed her phone away.

Her nostrils flared "Hey! That's mine." she protested. The couple next to her glared at them, but they stopped once they realized who was sitting, lest that 2 meters apart from them, and they tried discreetly to take pics. Tony barely turned to them and smiled for the camera.

He, then, faced her "I'll give it back once I'm sure you're not trying to kill me." He said simply, standing up and motioning her to do the same.

"I haven't finished my coffee yet." She said defensively just to have the pretense she had at least, a bit of control in the situation.

Tony gave her a look as he reached for her drink and threw in the trash, "You're done now, get up."

Alex grunted, her $5 were now sitting at the bottom of a trash can. Great, she could've drank it to make herself feel better about the wasted money, "That was also my breakfast you know, you could've handed it to me. I can multitask." She retorted.

His eyes darted away and rested a hand on her back to get her moving. Unknowingly to her, Tone felt his stomach drop at her words as he guided her to the waiting car.

Alex peered over her shoulder "We're doing lots of talking again? Cause I'm not in the mood to stare at you and break another check today."

A corner of his mouth lifted, "Nope, you're explaining how on earth you did this to me." he said pointing to his brow.

"I'm sure you were born like that Mr Stark." Of course she knew what he meant, she just wanted to play dumb for a while.

He gave her an unimpressed look, "You know what I mean."

"Do I?" Another answer like that, and Tony would shoot laser from his eyes.

"I'm not joking kid, you're in some serious shit."

Alex huffed, "Maybe next I should've accepted the check and be on my merry way." she lamented.

Tony agreed with a nod, "Too bad your good heart wouldn't let you."

"You know, maybe I should've left you with the rats. I'm sure they would've figured out your phone by now."

Alex fidgeted in her seat as a blue laser scanned her completely. It didn't matter how much she insisted, Tony just frowned and assured her that Jarvis could find all of her secrets and her real intentions, and not wanting to pop his bubble she just let him.

Jarvis was polite and kind enough, to assure her that the process wouldn't hurt and that it would be done before she even noticed. True to his word, Alex had barely blinked to block the blinding light when Jarvis announced he was done, and to Tony's disappointment no information of data had been found. Not from hospitals, orphanages or prisons. So he had resorted to just ask her questions.

"How old were you again?"

"19, Mr Stark," she said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, he needed to ask whatever he wanted, or she was going to smack him, she was tired of the 20 questions crap "I believe you want to know how I healed you."

His eyes lit up "So you're finally talking," he said as he came closer, dragging a chair with him "Jarvis, inform Ms Potts of the kid's arrival, have her bring something to eat for the visit."

" _Right away Sir_."

"I have magical powers." she blurted, and he plastered a smile on his face.

"Lying would get you nowhere."

She rose from her seat and lifted her left hand whilst the other pulled out her pocket knife from her bag. She stared directly at his eyes as she ran the sharp object in her palm. Fresh blood spilled to the floor, staining the gray concrete as Tony shot from his seat towards her.

She raised her injured hand, and he halted, and she placed two fingers in the open wound, the purple light immediately covered it, and she removed her fingers revealing the flawless skin to him. The only evidence of the wound, was a pink line that was starting to vanish.

His mouth was agape for a second, before he closed it and scratched his beard, "You have powers," he said simply, "Are you sure you're not here to kill me?"

A loud sound from behind made them jump, and Pepper was making her way to them with wide eyes and a pale face, the broken plate, forgotten in the ground and Alex stomach protested at the image of the food splattered on the floor. She just wanted to eat, was it too much to ask for?


	3. chapter 3

**Happy New year dear readers! This is officially my first update of 2019 and I'm very excited for it, I have so many ideas for this and I'm glad you guys are liking this story so far. I apologize for the long wait but this week has been very hectic for me.**

 **I would like to thank each of you that took their time to leave a review, fav and follow this fic. It means a lot to me to know what you guys think about my work since this is my first avengers ff.**

 **IMPORTANT: please read the note at the end of the chapter.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Sakura Hatsu: Thanks! you're so sweet with your words, I have so many ideas for their future interactions, and I agree, poor Alex's stomach must be digesting itself by now.**

 **Angelicsailor: omg thank you! I had the same reaction reading your review.**

 **Lirg123: She has her wit and sarcasm to help her lol.**

 **TheManyFacesOfAnon: Thank you, like I stated before, their future interaction will be something to look forward too, they are a pair to be feared. To answer your questions, yes, this is starting before the first movie, exactly a month before Tony becomes Iron man, I wanted to have some time to build their relationship, and to Alex to meet the man before the iron suit.**

 **Side note: this is my longest chapter so far, yay!**

 **(Published: 10/01/2019)**

 **(Edited:19/01/2019)**

* * *

 **Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.**

 **-Thomas Carlyle**

* * *

Alex woke with a start. Her heart beat pounded loudly in her ears as she struggled to remove the blanket from her sweaty body. She blinked in confusion multiple times as she took in her situation.

She let out a breathy laugh when she recognized the guest room, she had fallen asleep in yesterday. Alex ran a hand through her hair as memories filled her. After explaining her powers to Pepper, Tony had ordered two boxes of pepperoni pizza since his poor assistant seemed to stop working as she processed everything, and finally Alex was able to fill her raging stomach with delicious food. She, along with Tony had devoured the two boxes, mostly because Pepper wasn't feeling up to it, so they had taken it upon themselves to leave no trace of the greasy food.

To her credit, the older woman just sucked a deep breath and regarded Alex with her most understanding gaze, in her eyes, Alex was just a kid struggling with her new-found powers with no one to look after her, so with a very determinate look she had rested her hand on Alex shoulders, looked directly into her eyes, and swore both to herself and their new guest that she'll be treated well and no harm will come her way if she had any said in it.

Tony had watched the exchange with an unreadable expression, announcing that Alex will be occupying one of the guest rooms and that her phone will be returned once he was done with other test he didn't feel the need to explain to its owner. Alex might be young, and a bit naïve and pure according to Lady Eir, but she was not a fool. She could clearly tell they didn't trust her, and she didn't blame them; after all, she was a random girl who helped Tony Stark return home, they had no reason to watch over her or offer her a place to stay, when she had nothing to give in return (not that they knew, or could guess what she knew about them) and still, they had done it, and in baffled her, and warmed her insides a bit to know that, even before the suit, Tony was a good man (as good as one could be while making weapons intended for war, but he was good either way).

Regardless of their compassionate act, Alex was doubtful in accepting, not that she didn't trust them, but it all seemed so weird to her. She was probably having a culture shock of some sort, and needed to lie down to fully evaluate her situation.

Reluctantly, she accepted; hoping she hadn't made a mistake in intruding so early on in Tony's life, but there was a reason she had literally sprawled next to the future super hero. She was meant to intervene, and change something. She had a mental list of what it could be, but at the moment she wasn't very capable of handling all the thinking.

"Go rest, Jarvis will guide you to your room" Tony said, wiping the corner of his mouth with a rag he found in his desk, unknowingly smearing oil in his face.

Pepper smiled at the image, but said nothing to amuse herself and Alex, "Go on, I'll make sure he doesn't blown up anything whilst you rest." Her tone reminding of a mother talking to her scared child, "It's still early, we can go shopping for some new clothes when you wake up." Pepper promised, gently guiding her out of the workshop.

After that, she had blacked out as soon as her head hit the pillow. And now, here she was, startled and alone in a room with possibly the best view of Malibu one could ask for.

" _I apologize, Miss Alexandra,"_ The A.I said, managing to sound sincere with his mechanical voice, " _It wasn't my intention to startle you_."

"What did you say?"

" _I was apologizing_ ,"

She shook her head, aggravating her bed hair and cutting him off "No, before that."

" _I was stating the weather, date and time in Malibu_."

"Can you please repeat it? I wasn't paying attention" She said, standing up and stretching her sore muscles. It was strange, she wasn't this beat up yesterday.

" _Of course, Miss Alexandra_ ," He politely replied, " _It's 7:30 am, the weather in Malibu is 54 degrees Fahrenheit with a low chance of precipitation and a humidity of 86%. Today is the 6th of January 2008."_ He stated as a holographic screen appeared in the window, further detailing the information. _"There's a bathroom attached to your room, and per Ms. Potts request, I shall inform you of your planned activities for the day._ "

"Thank you, Jarvis." she said, walking to the aforementioned bathroom, dreaming with the relaxing sensation of hot water hitting her sore muscles as Jarvis voice filled the room.

A whole day with Pepper sounded great, honestly, Alex admired the woman for being able to put up with hundreds of crazy situations with such an open mind and determination, like literally, Pepper had been so accepting yesterday when she walked on her slashing her arm with no clear reason and listened to her explanation afterwards with no judgment clouding her vision.

The bathroom was the perfect image of something Alex would've found in one of the interior design magazines her grandpa liked to collect for fun. It contrasted heavily with the cozy and homey feel of her old bathroom. The cold toned scheme was very pleasant to her artistic side, and she found herself beaming at the well combined palette of gray, white and blue as the minimalist style matched perfectly the house. Laying on the countertop was an unopened tube of toothpaste, along with a new brush and dental floss, courtesy of her host.

Alex eyed her reflection carefully, the white lights along the mirror highlighted the dark circles under her eyes and her chapped lips, but besides that, she looked exactly the same as she did before the Valkyrie thing. The same dark brown eyes and short black hair with the same beige skin tone that characterized her, the only change that was visible was the tattoo adorning her forearm.

Which she must admit, was pretty badass.

She let out a content sigh when the water hit her back, immediately releasing the tension in her shoulders and neck. With the information provided by Jarvis, she deduced she had less than a month to prepare for Tony's kidnapping. Her gut twisted at the thought as images of his tortures flashed in her mind and a bitter taste settled in her throat.

The water cut off abruptly as she stumbled out of the shower to shove her head in the toilet, emptying her stomach. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she stood, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, slowly making her way back to the shower; just that this time she let the cold water engulf her body, till she was a shivering mess and her brain was fully functioning. Who needed coffee anyway? Clearly not her, good thing she was a morning person or this would've gone worse.

When she was done, and both her body and hair were wrapped in a fluffy blue towel, she realized that she had no clean clothes to wear, well, she could get a few more uses out of her jeans, since they were not supposed to be washed, but the top part was her concern. Knowing Pepper, she'll probably take her to a fancy store, and dear goodness she hated being stared at.

Her eyes wandered into the room, taking notice that it followed the bathroom color scheme and minimalist decor, with just a queen sized bed, and two black night stands on the sides of it, and a modest sized matching closet, (which she assumed was empty) and not to forget the cream-colored hairy rug her feet were enjoying.

There, lying next to the bed, and looking completely out-of-place, was her beloved bag, and said bag contained the shirt she intended to use after fixing the cake emergency that seemed like a lifetime ago.

Jarvis had said it was the 6th of January, meaning it was Sunday and Alex had never missed a pancake Sunday since she moved alone three years ago, and she wasn't breaking the tradition now. So with a smile in her face she made her way downstairs, to the kitchen and began her preparations. Alex would make sure Tony was well fed and taken care of, no more missed meals and takeout food for him.

"Jarvis," she called the A.I, as she opened the fridge to grab the ingredients, "Is Mr. Stark awake?"

" _Sir is awake and working on his newest project_." he replied, and Alex grinned, setting a mug under the coffee maker, and Jarvis took care of starting the machine, since she was positive the thing had more settings than her phone.

"It's time to put all of my culinary talent to use." She muttered to herself, washing her hands before whisking the eggs along with the milk, melted butter and sugar, before slowly adding the flour mixed with baking powder and a pinch of salt to even out the sweetness, "Jarvis, can you start the burner?" she asked, placing a pan and pouring the mixture into it. "Lower the heat, please." she ordered, making her way to the fridge to grab a bacon tray and more eggs for her omelet and a bottle of syrup. She might as well go big or go home, wait, no. Hurt feelings, that's what she gets for trying to be relatable and quote Kat's favorite phrase.

Soon, she was done with cooking and quickly fixed two plates, Tony's coffee (which she had to reheat) and a glass of orange juice for herself that she placed in a metal tray and carefully made her way to the workshop.

Struggling and cursing she reached the bottom of the stairs, and knocked on the glass, but apparently Mr. Stark was too busy to hear her, so she opted to rely on the AI's assistance, and she was promptly granted access.

His eyes sparkled with amusement as he wiped his hands with a rag, this time he used a clean one to Alex disappointment "Well, I wasn't expecting this," He said, motioning her to the desk as he moved documents and other things to make space for their plates "What's the especial occasion?" he asked once she handed him his plate.

Alex shrugged, taking a sip of her juice, "I was hungry, and I assumed you were too." she said, mentally saying a quick prayer before taking the first bite. "What?" she simply said when Tony didn't reach for his food, "Is not poisoned, and I washed my hands before cooking."

He gave a half smirk "Thank you for planting that seed in my head." He said sarcastically without losing his usual mirth and taking a bite of his syrup covered pancake. "So," He paused to fully swallow "What's the back story to this?" he said, using his pursed lips to point at the food.

She grinned "I like to give my target some joy before I kill them." she said, maintaining their eye contact.

He clicked his tongue, and Alex was surprised he didn't roll his eyes "Very funny, kid." He took another bite, this time grabbing a piece of bacon with his bare hand before talking again, "I'm serious, your phone didn't provide much info about you." He admitted, and Alex could sense a gruffness in his tone. Tony hated being in the dark, and this wasn't an exception.

"I thought you appreciated my sense of humor," she teased, her mouth curving into a smile, "I worked in a restaurant for a whole year. The chef was a nice man, and he taught me how to cook." she explained.

He scrunched his face in deep thought, but before he could talk, Jarvis voice interrupted him. " _Miss Alexandra, Ms. Potts has arrived and is waiting for you outside with Mr. Hogan_."

She rose and gave an apologetic smile to Tony, "I'll wash the dishes when I'm back."

Tony waved her off "Leave it, you're not my maid," He said as he stood to collect their plates. "Besides, I need this for evidence for the police once they find my dead body with foam in the mouth," he gave her a lopsided grin before adding "It'll save them some time."

This time she rolled her eyes. "Have fun Mr. Stark, I'll see you later." She said walking to the door, and paused to look over her shoulder. "Oh, and Mr. Stark?" She said, earning his attention, "I lied, I didn't wash my hands." And with that, she left.

* * *

Tony rolled his eyes as he watched the security footage of the kitchen, which clearly showed Alex washing her hands before cooking. What could he say, her words had ticked him off; he took hygiene pretty serious, especially when his health was involved; but something bothered him, and it was the naturally in her tone whenever she spoke to Jarvis, considering it usually took people longer to get used to his AI, Alex talked, and ordered Jarvis as if she knew him far longer than a day. Very strange, but not something really worrying, the kid could just be good at hiding her emotions. Who was he kidding, she was like an open book and each of her expressions were easy to decipher. It was her eyes that usually gave her away. That had been the reason he decided to take a risk and offer her a place to stay, and the fact that he was curious about her may have influenced his decision as well. It wasn't an everyday thing for him to encounter kids with super powers, especially one that wanted to help him.

Her back story was, well, a different story. He hadn't had any result in his search of her identity. He (meaning Jarvis) scanned the private data of hospitals, prisons, orphanages and mental institutions of North America, and no information had been found. It was as if she didn't exist. A real life ghost, and it intrigued him. That's why he ordered Jarvis to expand his search. He'll surprise her once she was back, he had already prepped the manila folder he was going to use to store her file.

He could already picture her expression when he handed her the folder with all her little secrets in it. Another hour, and it would be done, her true, would be exposed, and he could continue with his life as if nothing ever happened. It didn't matter that Pepper had tried to persuade him to drop his search and let her take care of the kid, he'd been tempted to agree, but he had a feeling the kid wasn't sharing her whole story or showing her full powers, he didn't dare to put his assistant trough an unnecessary danger.

Another thing that bothered him, where the vitals Jarvis took of her as she slept. Alex had practically dozed up as soon as she hit the bed, but as her waking time approached, she thrashed her body around, her heart rate quickened and both her temperature and breathing patron changed. A nightmare, he assumed, but she had seemed completely fine in their short exchange, unless he was mistaken (he doubted it) and she simply was a restless sleeper.

Alex was a mystery he was going to solve whether she wanted or not.

* * *

The air conditioner in the store cooled her body as soon as Alex entered the fancy boutique. She must look very out of place, because an obtrusive man was quickly making his way to her.

He was a man in his early 20's, with brown hair perfectly brushed in place, dressed in khaki pants and a pink dress shirt that complimented the angry flush in his cheeks, and she froze. He was closer now, his right arm lifted and pointing to the exit when Pepper passed by her.

The red-haired clicking heels drove his attention from her to the older woman, and his face immediately transformed into a delighted expression. His arm was now pointing to the other direction, inviting them to walk further in the boutique. Pepper had none of it though, as she demanded to be assisted by a more professional clerk.

His face changed, and nervousness overtook his features, his mouth moved to form an apology as he eyed Alex with perplexity "I'm incredibly sorry Ma'am, is not usual to receive such a client." he said disdainfully, still looking at her, and Pepper smiled sweetly.

"I understand," she looked down at his name tag "Marvin, but I wouldn't tolerate any disrespect in my presence. If you can be so kind and call your manager for me."

Marvin fumed at them, his face flushed a darker shade of red, and he crossed his arms over his chest, assuming a defensive stance, giving them a once over, "And who are you to demand that?" He spat, when an elderly man cleared his throat from behind him and Marvin visibly paled.

"Ms. Potts, it's always a pleasure to have you in my boutique. I apologize for the inconvenience, I'm Thomas Redfield, owner of this establishment" He said, shaking Alex hand before turning to his employee. "Mr. Hadleigh, I'll be waiting for you in my office," he said sternly to Marvin. "Ana, can you help Ms. Potts and her friend? I have to deal with Mr. Hadleigh here. Have a nice day Ladies, and let me know if you need anything else."

Alex mouth was slightly agape during the exchange, forget Tony, Pepper was her new hero. She admired her even more now, the woman was the personification of elegant beauty with her classy tan pantsuit and nude heels. Alex never noticed the energy Pepper exuded with her straight posture and confident steps. With a few words she had ended a rude man, and Alex, fascinated by it, unconsciously straightened her posture and relaxed her shoulders as she followed, Pepper and their new helper to the women's section.

Various items of clothing were handed to her, many which differed from her usual casual style. The clerk insisted, that she, as a young woman and acquaintance of Ms. Potts needed to be dressed accordingly. So with no other choice, Alex walked to the dressing room, struggling to close the door with her occupied hands till she dropped the items unceremoniously on the carpeted floor.

After staring at her reflection and making at least 10 different faces, Alex undressed and swiftly grabbed a white blouse and high-waisted red pants from the large pile. She studied her appearance, liking the way the outfit made her look more refined, internally deciding she would ask Pepper if she could get a pair of heels, not that she knew how to walk with them, but she always had the theory that her legs would look great with them, though she'll still insist they stop somewhere else, so she could get another pair of jeans and maybe a few shirts for her daily use, as well as another pair of sneakers, as much as she loved Pepper's style, Alex wasn't going to be attending meetings and party's with important people any time soon, and she preferred more casual clothing anyways.

She stepped out and twirled around, stopping once Pepper signaled her to come closer. "You look lovely, what do you think?"

Alex bit the inside of her cheek "I like it, but is a bit too formal for me," she admitted, fidgeting at the stare she was receiving from the clerk. "I would like to get something more daily use appropriate." She couldn't picture herself dressing like this every day.

Pepper nodded in understanding, "We'll go to other stores then," she smiled "But can you please try the apricot dress?" she begged and Alex complied.

In other words, Pepper had utter control of the situation and Alex was okay with it.

Their shopping trip extended till the afternoon, and since they were starving and possibly Tony was too, Pepper ordered Happy to stop at a Thai restaurant. Her plan of feeding Tony with homemade food was put to hold until further notice.

The smell that invaded her nostrils caused her stomach to growl. She flushed, and Happy shot her a knowing look through the rear view. "We'll arrive in 5 minutes, think you can wait till then?" He asked, the corner of his lip tilted to the side with a teasing smile as he took a turn to the left and part of the house came to view.

When they entered the house, both women were surprised by the darkness and stillness in the house. Pepper halted in her steps as Tony's figure came to view. He was sitting on the white couch, contemplating the sight provided by the large windows of the living room with a deep frown in his brows, nursing a drink, its amber color giving it away as whiskey.

The lack of lights obscured great part of his face, giving him a grim air to his expression that briefly disappeared when he finally acknowledged them. He raised his drink as a form of greeting, "Welcome back," he said, standing up. Pepper was taken aback momentarily, and slowly raised her chin and gave Alex a curt nod. Taking that as her cue to leave, and sensing the heaviness in the room, she removed the bags from Pepper's clenched fist and quietly retired to her room, choosing to ignore Tony's pointed stare at her retreating form.

Whatever happened in their absence, had obviously affected the genius, as Alex couldn't forget the look in his face. He looked defeated, and it bothered her, since she had the conception that it was somehow her fault.

"Hello Jarvis, I'm back." she said when she entered her room, discarding her shoes before dropping the bags next to the nightstand.

He was quick to reply, " _Welcome back, Miss Alexandra. I'm guessing your day went well_?" he politely asked, boosting her mood quickly.

She nodded in confirmation, "It did, however, I had an encounter with a petulant man, but regardless of that it was fun. Ms Potts is my new hero," she announced, recalling the early events with a fond smile, but then, she frowned, "Jarvis can you do me a favor?"

" _Of course. How may I be of your assistance?_ "

Alex brown eyes darted to her new possessions, before she unpacked and sprawled them on the floor, "Can you scan these and made an estimate pricing?" she requested, holding one of the items, a simple graphic tee above her head for him to see.

A blue light emerged out of nowhere and scanned the price tag in the fabric, " _May I inquired what for?_ " he asked, as the window in her room transformed in a giant calculator, showing the meager price of $12 and a plus sign next to it.

"I want to know how much I own Mr. Stark." She admitted, folding the piece and holding a new one in the same fashion as before.

Even without words, Jarvis silence spoke volumes of his mortification. " _I'm afraid I don't understand your intentions, Miss Alexandra. Has sir imposed a debt upon you?_ " he questioned, not masking his confusion.

"He hasn't." she clarified, "but I don't expect all of this to be free." She boldly assumed, "I'm not used to people expending money on me and not wanting a payback." She said, and cringed at the absurdity of her speculation, it had made more sense in her head. Now that she voiced aloud, Alex could say she was wrong. Tony's was a billionaire, whatever amount they had spent today wouldn't make a noticeable diminution of his vast richness.

Nonetheless, she couldn't accept it without feeling queasy about it. It felt wrong for her to live out of Tony's money. Alex refused to be a leech, she was old enough to look after her needs, and she's been working nonstop for the past three years to stop now just because Tony wanted to repay an imaginary debt.

"Tomorrow," she said firmly, "I'll go job hunting!" She declared pumping her fist in the air.

Jarvis mused to himself for two seconds, before offering his opinion. " _Pardon my intrusion, but wouldn't you need a curriculum vitae for that?_ "

Alex deflated at that, her resolve decreased, and she half shrugged, when an idea popped into her mind, "My phone! My gallery is full of photos and videos of my work as a baker," as soon as she finished her sentence, the calculator disappeared from the window/screen and was replaced by various images of the baked goods she had created and decorated in her time as an employee of _**"Nana's Bakery".**_ Nostalgia filled her, and tears shimmered in her eyes as Jarvis passed by a photo of Kathleen and herself posing next to a Pokémon birthday cake they had made for one of her friend's little cousin.

" _You are very talented_ ," He complimented her, earning a muffled laugh as Alex covered her face with her palms. " _This one is my favorite."_ He said, changing the image to one of a three floor cake.

"I remember that, is one of my favorites too," she mused more to herself. "The weather was incredibly hot that day, and the cake was covered in fondant; by the time we arrived to the party most of it was cracked and soggy," she recalled, her gaze lost in the memory, "I had to work fast and remove most of it, my friend had to prepare a chocolate buttercream to fix it, whilst my other coworker distracted the family long enough for us to fix the disaster. Turns out he used to be a magician, and they loved his act. They even thanked us for the extra free service and didn't even notice we were like, two hours late for the delivery hour."

After a brief pause that allowed Alex to gather herself, he spoke again " _If you let me, I could organize the information I have of you and create a CV for you._ " Jarvis suggested, " _But, I would need more sensitive info to create an accurate resume._ "

She eagerly nodded as her whole face lit up, "I'll tell you anything you want!"

Alex was aware of Jarvis real intentions, but decided to let it slide. His search to find the truth would be fruitless no matter how much she revealed of her past. After all, she was basically none existent in this universe.

Tony waited at the door, anxiously waiting for her to start talking, but he knew that Pepper would grow suspicious if he didn't show up with the kid soon. He was pleasantly surprised by Jarvis, he hadn't expected his A.I to be so cunning, though he shouldn't really be, J was one of his creations and had been by his side long enough for him to know everything about the A.I, yet he had managed to do something completely unexpected for his creator.

Alex's voice broke him out of his thoughts "I could kiss you right now." She declared.

Tony smirked, leaning sideways in the door frame, folding his arms across his chest and loudly cleared his throat. "Am I interrupting? I can come back later if you two are busy."

Alex grimaced at him, "Would it kill you to knock first? I was declaring my undying love for Jarvis here and you just ruined the mood."

* * *

 **PLEASE READ:**

 **I'm officially opening the poll to determinate Alex future romance interest, but since I don't know how to set up a poll in my profile, we'll have to do it old school with either reviews or private message (PM) whatever you're more comfortable with, also is okay to include a reason behind your vote, I would love to read your opinions on who will be more suited for Alex based in her personality.**

 **thank you for reading, have a nice rest of your day!**


	4. Александра

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, just Alex.**

 **(Published: 20/01/2019)**

 **I just want to say thanks to everyone that took their time to review, fav and follow this fic, it means a lot to me to read your reviews filled with so many wonderful words.**

 **Reviews:**

 **First of all, I want to thank DullReign82-RedAnna-DandDgirl for letting me know of the grammar mistakes from previous chapters. I went back and fixed them, it's not perfect, but it's better.**

 **Ashes2Dust18: They'll be like yin and yang and balance each other.**

 **Sakura Hatsu: Honestly, I can't wait for that to happen, I have a little surprise in store for Alex, (spoiler: it's not a good one). Thor and Loki's reaction to her being a Valkyrie would be hilarious!**

 **SunnySides: omg thank you! you're so sweet, I tried really hard to make Alex seem like a normal girl, and I firmly believe in growing with time, it made no sense to me to make her a super human capable of fighting thanos on her own lol. I took your suggestion and italicized Jarvis dialogue and fixed it on past chapters. Bucky seems like a good option for her, I think Alex more than anyone, would be able to help him overcome his issues. Like I said before, if is not, then Steve would be a good option too.**

 **kossboss: Thank you!**

 **Angelicsailor: an Asgardian, as in Thor ;) ? you're right, hasty decisions are never good. Heimdall is impatience to meet her I can assure you.**

 **FALLING-ANGEL24: Thanks! you know, the usual. Steve, Bucky, Thor, Loki and Tony has been requested as well.**

 **Maru33: thank you! I try to update once a week.**

 **Guest: He's 38, I don't remember if I did, but I think I mentioned this fic takes place like a month before he became Iron man. (Honestly, you have valid points, with both Tony and Bucky ... don't worry she is ;)**

 **DandDgirl:Thank you for your lovely words! I wanted to give Alex some time to build her abilities and relationships with everyone before throwing her in danger. Like I said before, I believe in growing with time, both mentally and physically. As for your vote, Alex would definitely try to understand Bucky's and help him with the trigger words ;) about Loki, don't worry, I have a soft spot for him too, and about your request, consider it done, Alex would be meeting Darcy because of you, chaos will rise with these two.**

 **amti: Thank you dear. Tony or Thor, nice choices ;)**

 **Voting results (THE POLL IS NOT OVER YET)**

 **Steve: 2**

 **Thor: 3**

 **Loki: 3**

 **Bucky: 2**

 **Tony: 2**

 **Don't forget to keep voting!**

 **by the way I loved reading your reasoning behind your choices, it was nice to know Alex is leaving good impressions on everyone.**

 **Warning: There's a part in this chapter that might make some of you uncomfortable, please read with caution.**

* * *

 **If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.**

 **-Napoleon Hill**

* * *

Her poor calves were burning with the constant movement of her legs, she'd been walking for around 2 hours to no avail. A bead of sweat traveled down her face, and she had to stop to put the manila folder with her résumé under her arm so she could wipe it with the back of her hand.

Alex let out a puff of air in exasperation and plopped down on the side-walk, not caring if she looked crazy to the pedestrians walking pass her. Job hunting was a nightmare! And the fact that she was both thirsty and hungry wasn't helping. Her delicious breakfast had evaporated in her stomach thanks to her vigorous walk around Malibu. So far, she'd left her résumé in two bakeries, but the distance between them was the reason of her current state, which was the result of her poor physical condition, and now that she thought about it, she wasn't tired per say, she was positive she could push her body and kept going, she had the energy for it, but her unused muscles were a different story.

Having rested enough, and decided to at least visit two more places, she rose and used her free hand to dust off her pants and smoothed down her shirt, readjusted the manila folder (that had been conveniently provided by Tony) under her arm, held her chin high and began walking with no clear direction. So, she halted to retrieve her newly recovered phone and googled bakeries nearby her location. Apparently her phone misunderstood her, because the distance of _**"Mary's sweet world"**_ was a good mile away from her.

Frustrated, but still determinate in her goal, she began walking again, making sure to watch out for any suspicious person around her and constantly reminding herself of the pocket knife she was carrying. It was hard to simply walk without a care after the way she _died._

Nothing was the same anymore. It took 27 minutes of mental preparation and a cup of chamomile tea to calm down her nerves and step out of the house after she finished her breakfast. Compared to the usual 10 minutes that took her before the whole goddess thing, Alex knew it would take her some time to get back to normal.

She yawned and shook her head, trying to clear her head; it didn't work, but it reminded her of the awful night she spent yesterday. Watching the photos in her camera roll had awoken many emotions within her, resulting in a restless sleep plagued with memories that quickly transformed into nightmares of that night.

She woke up at 4 am, covered in sweat and salty tears covering her face. The light of her room was on, and Tony was by her side with a worried look on his face handing her a glass of water, unsure of what to do next.

"Bad dream?" He asked, grabbing the now empty glass from her trembling grip.

She frowned, and shook her head, "I can't remember." Alex turned her head to the side, catching a glimpse of her vitals portrayed in the window with big red numbers. Her heart rate was slowly calming down, and she relaxed. She was safe now. "Thanks." Alex tried to smile, though it resembled more a grimace than a grateful smile, nonetheless, Tony awkwardly patted her in the head.

He momentarily left, and returned with a bunch of paperwork and a chair that he placed near her bed and silently looked up to meet her gaze, trying to figure out her thoughts, after a few seconds he looked down to the documents he was holding, and without her realizing, he smiled. He had stayed with her till morning came and it was time to make breakfast.

Alex smiled at the memory, though he hadn't said much, his presence had been enough to calm her down enough to close her eyes.

Her stomach growled when the smell of fresh baked bread hit her nose, confused and hungry she followed the smell and came to a stop in front of a small bakery. **"Cake n Bake"** was the name provide by the distressed sign outside, and Alex wasted no time to go inside. A ringing sound announced her entrance and an old man came out from a door behind the counter, wiping his floured hands on his red apron. His blue eyes scanned the store, till his gaze landed on her, and he smiled making the wrinkles in his face seem more prominent.

Alex smiled back, and she got a strange feeling, like a gut feeling or six sense that made her immediately like him. "Good morning, sir." She said, eyeing the cookies and cupcakes with hungry eyes, but she wasn't here for that.

"Morning young lady," He greeted, his voice laced with a thick accent. "What you need?"

"I came for the fresh bread" She said enthusiastically.

He nodded, pleased with the answer and pointed to one of the many unoccupied tables, "Have a seat," he said, before disappearing behind the door again.

She did as told, and let out a relieved sigh as soon as she sat down and hastily pulled out her phone to check her map, surprisingly there wasn't much information about the place, just a few reviews here and there, and since they were mostly positive she decided to give it shot.

Soon, a plate with a slice of a greyish-brownish bread was placed in front of her along with a cup of steaming coffee.

She thanked him and took a bite, enjoying the rich flavor of it and taking her time to analyze the store. The smell of bread was still very present in the air, that combined with the warm tones of the walls and decoration gave it a homey sensation to it, also the various pictures hanging on the wall made her feel nostalgic for unknown reasons. She focused on the biggest of them all, a picture of two young boys in dirty clothes with their arms draped on each other's shoulders, toothy grins adorning their stained mouths and thumbs up were displayed as they posed for the camera.

Unknowingly, she had stared for too long, earning the owner attention. "That's my brother and I." He said suddenly and Alex stumbled with her cup, embarrassed at being caught.

"You two look very happy, how old were you?"

His eyes glinted as he approached the framed picture "I was barely 10 years, my brother, he is the youngest of my siblings, and he was 8 at that time." He said, caressing the black and white photo. "That day we got in trouble with our mother 'cause we wanted ice cream and didn't have any money, so we started to sing in the plaza, catching the attention of everyone with our horrible singing. Sometimes I think they paid us to shut up," he recalled with glossy eyes and a tone full of sentiment. "Mom was so mad, saying that we looked like beggars with our dirty clothes and faces." He shook his head to get rid of the memories and then turned to her. "Had a long day?" he asked, glancing down at the folder resting on the table.

Alex puffed her cheeks and leaned further in her seat, "Yeah, I've been walking the whole morning dropping my résumé everywhere with a help needed sign." She said and he grabbed her folder with curiosity, not before briefly glancing at her for permission which she granted with a nod of her head.

His eyes widened once he saw one of the many photos, Jarvis had printed of her previous works. "You make bread?" He asked in a hopeful tone, closing her folder and putting it back on the table.

She bobbed her hair, and he gestured to the door behind the counter, "Wash your hands."

She jerked her head in the direction he was pointing and looked back at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Really?" She asked following behind him.

"I don't joke. Your work is magnificent, though we don't make that kind of things here." He said, sounding apologetic before handing her a red apron that had the name of the bakery embroidered in white thread.

She quickly intervened, "That's okay, I know how to bake many things and I'm a fast learner."

"Good. Wash your hands," He repeated. "My name's Alyosha.

"I'm Alexandra, sir. Pleasure to meet you."

* * *

Later that day, when the bakery was busied with more people and Alex was battling with the register, a bell rang, announcing the entrance of another costumer and she sighed before looking up ready to greet them with a polite smile, but it died down once she saw the man walks pass her, directly into the back door, and she frowned in confusion, though she didn't have much time to dwell on in when the voice of a woman ordering 700kg of cookies and a dozen of vanilla cupcakes broke her out of her trance.

A set of footsteps near her made her tilt her head to the side, allowing her to take a better look at the man next to her. He was taller than her, having a whole head of advantage, making it uncomfortable for her neck to stay in that position for too long. He cocked his head in her direction, his bleached blond hair remained unfazed by the movement and gave her a disinterested side glance. His pierced brow raised in questioning and Alex waved awkwardly as she stared at the various colorful tattoos adorning his exposed arms.

"It's rude to stare." He said suddenly, breaking her out of her blatant examination.

She wanted to protest, to say anything to save her dignity when the old man came back, carrying a tray full of brownies. The woman she was tending to, oblivious to her embarrassment redirected her attention to him.

"I would like a dozen of those as well."

"Right away, ma'am," came Alex reply.

"I'll take care of it," the stranger man said, taking the brownies with gloved hands and putting them in a brown paper bag.

"Thank you Ivan," the woman beamed at him, handing him the money instead of Alex's, who was left with her hand extended and empty.

She tried to play it cool, and pretend she was brushing a strand of hair, but the not so quiet chuckle of Ivan made her stop.

Internally, she begged the earth to swallow her whole, maybe she had a secret power she wasn't aware of, but her inner prayers were interrupted by Alyosha's joyful voice, "This is my son, Ivan," he introduced the blonde, not so subtly pushing him to say something, but he remained quiet, just bobbing his head in acknowledgement, "This is Aleksandra, our new worker. Please treat her nicely." He muttered to his son.

Evening came eventually, and soon Alex found herself removing her apron and hanging it on a rack, before accepting the cup of green tea Alyosha offered her.

"You did well," he complimented her, taking a sip of his own cup before starting an idle conversation about today's events.

Alex was about to ask for another refill of her cup, when Ivan's retreating form distracted her. She followed his form, and her eyes widened, she saw the darkening sky, the blue and black hues covering the oranges and pink tones of the afternoon.

"I'm leaving, don't wait for me!" Ivan said, not bothering to look at them as he spoke.

Swiftly, she stood, alarming the old man who wasted no time in copying her movements.

"What's wrong?" He asked, also eyeing his son, "You don't feel good?"

"I need to leave," she said, sounding too antsy for her liking. She battled to gather her things, but as soon as she was done, her tea partner was already by her side, showing his concern with his eyes and the hand he rested in her back. Alex smiled without showing her teeth, "I have to go home before is too late,"

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"7am, right?" she asked and he nodded in confirmation, "I'll be here. Have a nice rest of day, Mr. Alyosha."

"You too, be careful."

"I will!" she said, waving as she stepped outside. A warm breeze hit her cheeks and she recoiled, cursing herself for forgetting to grab a jacket in her haste to leave the house.

The sound of crickets and the cars passing in the road next to her accompanied her in her walk, that and the not so far away figure of Ivan. Though she shouldn't, she felt a bit comforted over the fact there was someone she knew nearby, if anything happened she could scream for help. She looked over her shoulder for the hundred time since she left the bakery, and panic overtook her being when a figure emerged from the other sidewalk.

She tightened her grip on her knife, and fastened her pace, ignoring the whistles that came from behind her. Ivan turned to the left, disappearing into an alley. She could hear the footsteps echoing behind her coming closer and she took a quick decision. Alex turned left, momentarily confused, till she saw a door at the end of the alley. The shadow of the man reflected in the brick walls and she entered without hesitation.

Realizing a little too late that she might of made a mistake. A bulky man guarded another door, music could be heard coming from it and Alex wanted to run away, but it was either that or facing another imminent death in less than a week, so she straightened her back and relaxed her posture, imitating the confident stand she'd seen Pepper use in the boutique.

The guard gave her a once over, "Are you lost?" he asked mockingly, "You don't look like the type to come to this kind of places."

"I'm not. I came here for a friend, he's waiting for me."

He lifted his eyebrow and his blue eyes glinted with mirth "Really? What's his name?"

"Listen dude, I just finished my shift at work," she said, stepping closer and raising her chin, "I'm not in the mood to deal with this shit now, so if you could be so kind to move your ass so I can find my friend and leave this place. I've been here, less than 5 minutes and I already felt the need to take a Clorox bath when I get home."

He rolled his eyes, but moved aside to let her in. "Just don't come crying when your friend's not there." He warned, and she swallowed hard.

The whole place was dark, barely illuminated by multicolored neon lights and one bright light that illuminated the center of the place, though she couldn't see what it was with so many people circling her. Was it too late to go outside?

After a few butt grabbing and a girl trying to grind her, she finally reached her destination. A ring, a freaking boxing ring and Ivan was standing there, too busy wrapping his fist with bandages to even notice her. Would the guard laugh at her if she left alone after 2 minutes of being there? Most likely, did she care? Absolutely not; and with that in mind she turned to leave. A heavy hand encircled her waist, stopping her from moving.

She craned her neck, and froze when she recognized the man from outside. His mouth was settled in a disgusting grin, and he leaned towards her, "Though you could get away?" he asked, pressing himself closer.

Alex put her hands on his chest to gain some distance, "Do I know you? If not, please remove your hands, these clothes are brand new."

He laughed, though most of the sound was opaque by the blasting music. "C'mon lets go somewhere more private."

Alex wanted to vomit, the urge to slap him was growing on her, tired and angry more than anything, she frowned, her right hand moved to grasp his offending appendage, "Are you deaf? Hands off!" she said, and jerked his hand away.

That amused him, and he moved his hand to place it again in her waist, but she stopped him, this time squeezing his wrist, not stopping till felt and faintly heard a cracking noise. **_"Thanks, Lady Eir,"_** she thought, because Alex was sure she wasn't this strong before.

That did the trick, though not as good as she would've liked. He fisted her shirt, rage clouding his vision, "You'll pay for that, bitch!" he said, trying to drag her outside, but she had her feet firmly planted in the concrete ground. That anger him even more, so he twirled around and Alex used her free hand to punch him in the jaw. He stumbled for a bit, before his eyes went white and he passed out.

Claps and cheers filled the place, "It looks like we have a new fighter!" someone in the ring said, the referee she assumed. "What's your name missy?"

Before she could answer, Ivan jumped out of the ring, "She's with me!" he said, glaring at the group that had started to gather around her with menacing gazes.

"Let's go," he said as he drags her outside.

She didn't protest, and allowed him to guide her out of that horrible place, and she took the opportunity to blow a raspberry to the guard who gave a surprised look at her company.

"I can't believe you followed me!" he said, pacing around, "Are you crazy? I don't know if you're stupid or very brave;" he shook his head in disapproval, "Stupid, you are very stupid." He concluded.

"I wasn't planning to follow you, that creepy guy was stalking me and I panicked, "she explained, "I had no idea you're part of the bootleg version of the fight club,"

He opened his mouth, looking offended, "I'm a boxer!" he defended himself and Alex shrugged.

"Tomatoe, tomato. You're still part of an illegal fight club. By the way does your father know?" she inquired genuinely curious, but he misunderstood her words because he was soon grabbing her shirt just like the other guy had.

"Are you threatening me?"

She pushed him away, smoothed down her shirt and said "I was asking out of curiosity, no need to get violent."

He clenched his jaw, but said nothing.

"By the way, how good are you?"

"What?"

"Are you a decent fighter?"

"I never lose," he said smugly.

"That could mean your opponents are worse than you."

"You're trying to pick a fight?"

"Oh god, no. I'm interested in fighting lessons, and this is too convenient to let it pass."

"No," he quickly replied, "You kicked that dude's ass, and I don't want to teach you."

"Oh, okay then. See you tomorrow at work. Enjoy your fight!" she cheerily said, starting to walk away when he stopped her.

"What does that means?" he asked angrily. "You're trying to hold me to that, huh, you're going to threaten me with that. What if I say no again, will you tell my dad?"

She tilted her head confused, "I never said that, can you let go?"

He obeyed, "Fine," he said, looking pensive.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow at 7." She waved and was ready to leave when his voice interrupted her.

"4am, don't be late." He said suddenly.

"Your father told me that my shift started at 7."

He grimaced when she mentioned his dad, but repeated his words and added, "Don't make me regret this."

It took her a moment to get his meaning, but when she did, she was practically bouncing on her feet, "I wouldn't." She promised, excitement laced her words. She couldn't wait till she was badass Valkyrie.

Turns out, Ivan anger only lasted for 5 minutes, and once he had calmed down, he pulled out his phone and called a friend of his dad that owned a taxi company so she could arrive home safely. "You had enough fun for one night." He had said as an explanation for his gestures.

Alex smirked, "Thanks. You're nicer than I thought,"

His browns came closer "What does that mean, I'm a gentleman. If I remember correctly, I saved your ass back there."

"Not really," Alex said as a taxi stopped in front of them, "see ya tomorrow!" she called, and entered the car greeting the driver with a polite smile.

* * *

"I'm back!" she shouted when she entered the house. "Mr. Stark?"

"Kitchen!" he answered quickly.

Her mouth watered at the smell coming from the kitchen, and she couldn't help but smirk at the sight that greeted her, "Did you wash your hands?" she asked and Tony paused his vegetable chopping to return her smirk.

"I don't remember," he said in a fake innocent tone, "We'll find out later."

"So you're a genius, a philanthropist, a playboy and a chef?" she complimented, washing her hands in the sink and grabbing a knife to help tony chop the onions. "What can't you do?"

He shrugged, "You forgot to add incredibly handsome," he said wiggling his brows.

She gave him a once over, "Meh," she said indifferently, adding the onions to the bowl full of ground meat. "How was your day?"

"Can't complain," he said offhandedly, mildly offended by her earlier comment. "You?"

"I had a meeting with my handler, he told me I should kill you soon before I grow attached,"

Tony's eyes narrowed, but he continued with his chopping, "What else did he say?"

It was her turn to shrug, "I'll let you know when we met again," Alex laughed, and the oven biped, indicating the garlic bread was done. She retrieved it from the oven before talking again, "I got a job," she announced happily, "In a bakery, not far from here, I was about to give up when the smell of fresh bread guided me there.

The owner is a sweet old man, he reminds me of Santa Claus without a beard. He also has a son, he's-" she stopped her talk to glare at Tony, who was making faces and kiss noises at her, "You're so childish, and for your information, I think he hates me, but anyway, that's not relevant. When I was walking home, a creepy dude was following me and-"

"You okay? You called the police?" he asked worriedly, his eyes examining her body to make sure she was alright.

She nodded, and smiled at his display of concern for her well-being, "I'm fine," she assured him, setting the knife down as Tony mixed the meat, "I followed Ivan, the owner's son," she clarified, "To an alley, and somehow ended starring the bootleg version of the fight club when I punched the creepy guy when he tried to touch me inappropriately, I knocked his lights out and some of his friends weren't happy, but Ivan intervened and got me out and call me a Taxi. Also, he promised he would teach me how to properly kick ass, since apparently he's a boxer."

Tony finished the meat ball, he was forming before voicing his opinion, "And what do you need to fight for?"

"You."

* * *

 **Fun fact: This chapter was part of chapter 3, but I decided to keep at 5k since 8k+ seemed excessive to me.**

 **Ps: Don't forget to leave a review and vote, the poll is still going. This is just the beginning.**

 **Ps2: Alex can kick ass on her own.**


	5. Mr Miyagi

**I would like to apologize for the delay of the past two chapters. It wasn't my intention to leave you waiting, but I've been very busy this past week with work and college, you know, adult stuff. But I'm back now, and as a compensation I combined both chapters to create this 6k+ monstrosity. Also, we reached a 101 follows and 40 reviews, how? In less than a month? I'm incredibly grateful for all the love, this is receiving. Thank you again.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest:Thanks!**

 **dustinpuffer: Thanks, I'll try my best.**

 **Angelicsailor: Alex is still a baby in comparison to everyone else lol, she'll learn soon though. Ivan is a precious boy and I understand your feelings, he is hard to resist ;) omg your votes :o I'll count them at the end. .**

 **FALLING-ANGEL24: BuckyxAlex is the best ship, they'll look fabulous as they kick ass. Dad! Tony is the best Tony and I can't be convinced otherwise.**

 **Blueowl: Thanks, Alex becoming a Mary-sue is my worst nightmare.**

 **TheManyFacesOfAnon: They'll be bff!**

 **kitsune-miko-witch: Lots of changes are coming ;), yayy for bucky!**

 **Sakura Hatsu: Poor Tony and yes, he is worried that Alex would do something stupid for his sake, and nope, sadly, Alex can't change that, the world needs Iron man.**

 **anissa: Thank you, and yes I'm considering Valkyrie as her codename, since well, it makes sense (?**

 **Shin XIX: He finally appears in this chapter!! and don't worry you have the right to ask questions.**

 **Rindo Seiren: Yayyy! Alexandra's Assemble! the boi will be protected and Rhodey is meeting Alex in this chapter ;)**

 **wickedlfairy17:Thank you!**

 **DandDgirl: I'll take the lembas bread if you still have some and the other choices as well ;) (Your review literally made sit down and edit this chapter, thank you for inspiring me!) For now, Ivan is a normal dude, I haven't put much thought in his future and yes, Alex fighting after work and Tony finding out after she randomly mentions it would be hilarious.**

 **Rosier-Sama:Thank you, and nope, she wouldn't interfere. I'm still thinking about it, wouldn't it be to op if she could? Btw, I love the codename! it sounds badass.**

 **Twizzler200: Your wish have been granted.**

 **PistolHattersButtercup: You're not late at all dear, thanks for voting.**

 **POLL Results (Still not over yet, I giving time so you can see Alex interact with them and make your choice!:**

 **Thor: 4**

 **Loki: 5**

 **Steve: 3**

 **Bucky: 7**

 **Tony: 4**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, just my girl Alex.**

* * *

 **If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.**

 **– Les Brown**

* * *

Alex took a deep breath as she opened the door, and shortly after, her sight was blinded by white flashes and her ears ringed by the sudden shouts.

She blinked, and looked around in surprise, "Hello," she waved in greeting.

The circle of people around her came closer, their phones and recorders out and reaching for her. Another round of flashes came, and Alex had to momentarily close her eyes to protect her sight.

Various voices called to her, but it was hard to make out any of their words as they talked at the same time. A blonde woman boldly approached her, her red lips forming a snarky smile, "Victoria Price from pretty magazine, would you mind answering a few questions?"

Alex gulped, raising her hands in defeat, "Good morning everyone, I must admit this took me by surprise," A few of them laughed as the rest eagerly snapped more photos of her. "I can answer a few questions, but before anyone asks, my name's Alexandra."

The woman-Victoria- nodded and looked down to her note pad before talking again, "Rumor has it, you're Mr. Stark newest conquest," She said so sure of herself that Alex had a moment of doubt before she gave a smile of her own. "What do you have to say about that?"

"I'll say you have a pretty bad source," She cheered internally at the baffled look on the woman's face, "The nature of Mr. Stark and I's relationship is something I would like to keep private."

Her words awoke another wave of questions and voices- now calling her name- Randomly, she pointed to one of the many reporters, the man quickly walked to her, gently pushing Victoria out of the way, "Rowen Kent, from the local news," he introduced himself and Alex bobbed her head in greeting, "Since you choose to remain silence about your relationship with Tony Stark, can you, at least give us a bit of insight to it?" and not waiting for her reply, he spoke again, "Does he take care of you? Is he a responsible figure in your life?"

Alex considered her answer for a while, a secretive smile pulled her lips, and a mischievous glint covered her eyes, "Let's be honest, Tony and responsible can't be in the same sentence unless _"ir"_ is used as a prefix," she joked, earning a few laughs from her crowd. "But, he's doing his best, and every day he finds new ways, though mostly subtle, to show me he cares for every single person around him, and for that I greatly admire him and hope to stand by his side to see him evolve and grown as a person."

Rowen opened his mouth to continue with his questions, but a different voice interrupted him, "Are you Mr. Stark lovechild then?" He asked, and Alex forced herself to remain impassive. "Photos of you accompanied by Ms. Pots in the mall are circulating the web initiating multiple rumors, to which many concluded, you're either his secret child or newest lover."

"Oh my, all of your sources are wrong," She said in dismissal, "Ms. Pots and I were out in a girl's day." She explained.

"Are you a close friend then?"

"I didn't say that either,"

"Miss Alexandra," Victoria intervened again, her eyes glinting with malice, "Are you, as the kids nowadays put it, just a nightstand?"

Her blood boiled, but her calm façade didn't crack, "Well, considering this is my third day here, I highly doubt I'm a one nightstand as you so professionally phrased it."

Victoria clenched her jaw, stiffly nodding at her answer. "I see, then; what are your thoughts on Mr. Stark bloody legacy?" She asked to give Alex a winning look, thinking she had her cornered.

Careful, Alex needed to be careful, one wrong answer and it would explode right in hers and Tony's face. Victoria thought she was clever, too bad for her Alex was an expert in dodging questions, "I'm not really the most adequate person to be answering that-"

"Give us your personal thoughts," The blonde cut her off, her grey eyes hungrily scanning Alex's face for any indicator of her true feelings, and apparently she found it just by staring at Alex brown eyes.

"My personal thoughts might be a bit biased, but since you insist. Starks industries have been making weapons for the government for many years; weapons that had been of great aid through difficult times and helped guarantee the freedom Americans are so proud of and you're currently enjoying. Sadly, we live in a world where they are a necessary evil, I'm not excusing the use of them, neither the constants bloodshed caused by them, but are we really in the position to blame Mr. Stark for the weapons he makes but not the finger that pull the trigger? After all, if it wasn't Stark industries then it would be Hammer's or maybe a different one making them. But, I'm positive that Tony is barely gracing the beginning of his greatness, for I think he's set to do greater things than sit in his workshop all day creating weapons of destruction. One day, he will shed his own blood to protect the world and those precious to him, and all of you better be just as eager to interview me then as you are now. If you excuse me, I'm running late for work."

More questions erupted after her words, and Rowen voice was the only she heard, "You sound incredibly sure that Mr. Stark will change his ways, what makes you think that?"

"I have a very reliable source for my info," she said, giving Victoria a side glance as she talked.

Before anyone could make more questions, Happy emerged from the crown, pushing his way through and sighing in relief once he saw her. His hand reached for her, guiding her out of the horde of paparazzi's to a waiting car.

He opened the door for her before jogging to the driver side, expertly maneuvering around the paparazzi's and hastily opening the door and starting the engine, leaving behind a crown full of unanswered questions.

"You okay?" He asked, giving her a brief glance.

"Yeah," She assured him, "I wasn't expecting that."

"Mr. Stark told me what happened last night, heard you kicked some creep ass."

"I did, is that why you're here?"

"Yes, he called and told me from now on, I'm your ride."

Alex blinked, suddenly invaded by an unknown emotion, "Oh, that's awfully nice of him."

Happy snorted, "By the speech you just gave, you seemed a hundred percent sure he was a saint reincarnated."

Alex shrugged, "I told the truth. I do think he's a great man, but he has yet to discover it."

Satisfied with her response, Happy let the subject drop. 2 minutes passed by, before he broke the silence by cursing softly.

"What's the matter?" Alex asked.

"We're being followed," Happy supplied, "I'll take a few turns to lose them."

Alex turned around, confirming Happy's words. They were being followed by, from what she could see, at least 3 cars filled with reporters and a van that had the local news logo. Dejectedly, she checked the time on her phone, 5:47 am, sighing in disappointment since she had already broken her promise to Ivan. He was probably gone now, angry at her for being so irresponsible. However, there was nothing she could do now.

* * *

"An hour and twelve minutes late," Came Ivan voice as he walked closer to her, pocketing a chronometer he paused after he checked the time.

Alex fidgeted with her fingers, avoiding his gaze. "I have a real excuse," she muttered once he stopped in front of her.

"Oh, please enlighten me," he said, sounding amused, confusing Alex since she couldn't detect any trace of anger in his tone.

"I was ambushed by paparazzi's," she whispered and Ivan said nothing as he fished something out of his pocket, a notebook that he opened and wrote something down before showing her its content. There, in a neat blue calligraphy, he wrote her excuse, "This is your excuses journal, every time you're late, you'll say your excuse and I will write it down, when we're done with your training I'll give it back to you as a memento of your tardiness." He explained, walking inside the bakery with a shocked Alex trailing behind.

"That's it?" she said.

He barely turned over his shoulder, with a lifted eyebrow and an amused smirk. "You wanted me to scream at you or something'?"

"No, but you made it sound as if I would regret it if I dare to be one second late."

"You will be," he promised, opening the door to the basement.

Alex gulped, and quietly followed, trying her best to avoid the flour sacks that covered most of the room. In the middle of it, was a cushioned red mat, similar to the ones used in martial arts, and next to it, was a punching bag along with two small weights lying by it.

"What do you think?" Ivan asked as he removed his shirt, flashing his abs to Alex, who blushed in response and averted her gaze.

"I'll say I better become the next Rocky Balboa, because I'm already tired and we haven't even started."

"Why are you looking away?"

Alex lifted her eyes, and inwardly grunted when she caught the cocky smirk on his lips. "I'm going to stretch, I don't want to pull a muscle,"

"You do that, I'll watch you and then we'll fight. Let's see if last night was just a lucky shot."

"I'll kick your ass."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

She had no idea how, but somehow she had managed to end up with her cheek pressed in the sweaty red mat, Ivan was on top of her, bending her right arm at an odd angle as she fought to free herself with one arm.

"Yield" he demanded, pressing her captured appendage further in her back, inciting a gasp of pain from her.

Alex gritted her teeth, but no sound escaped her lips, not even when her right arm made a weird popping sound. She wiggled around trying to throw him off to no avail, he was heavy and had captured each of her limbs under his weight.

"Yield!" he said again, shifting his weight to her lower back.

She raised and twisted her neck to glare, "Never!" she spat, elbowing him in the stomach with her left arm. He gasped, and doubled in pain, yet he didn't let go of his position. She pressed her forehead on the mat, breathing hard and frustrated with her futile attempt. Alex truly didn't know how she was like this. Their fight had started fine, with her having an obvious advantage thanks to her small size and unknown strength, but it changed as soon as Ivan received the first punch and with wide eyes he had shifted his stance, correcting hers as well and preparing to strike at Alex.

She barely had time to dodge, finding herself rolling to the side to avoid being hit in the stomach. Her knees buckled as she knelt to dodge a punch directed to her jaw, and then, she decided to fight back. But he was expecting her to do so, since he moved around her, and once he was behind her, Ivan grabbed her right arm, twisting it in the process as he pressed his knee to her back forcing her to arch her body, successfully getting her to the ground.

Again, she raised her neck, this time to hit him in the nose when a startled feminine voice stopped her.

"Ivan!" the woman called, "What are you doing to that poor girl?"

The weight on her back disappeared, and Alex wasted no time to get to her feet.

"I thought I raised you better!" the woman said, using her turquoise satchel to slap Ivan, who looked ready to be swallowed by the earth. Pleading blue eyes turned to her, and Alex bit her lips to stop herself from giggling.

"It's fine, ma'am, I asked him to fight me," At the sound of an unknown voice, the woman turned to her, smiling warmly before talking.

"You must be Aleksandra, my husband told me about you. I'm Maria, Ivan's mom and owner of this lovely bakery." She introduced herself, shaking Alex hand. "You smell, go clean yourself." She said to her son, and he complied. "You should do the same dear, I'll show you where you can wash the sweat off," She said to Alex. "Ivan, show her. Be fast you two, it's almost time to open."

"Yes, mom," Ivan said, taking the lead and Alex fastened her pace to walk next to him.

"Can I make you a question?" Alex said, once they were alone.

"You just did," He grinned, "But since I'm good, I'll let you ask another one,"

Alex rolled her eyes playfully, "That sound… the one my arm made, what was that?"

He frowned in deep thought, before he clasped his hands, "That, my dear student, was me repositioning your shoulder back in place. I also took the liberty of fixing your spine, you're welcome."

Alex turned her neck, trying to see what he was talking about, ignoring the hearty laugh that came from her side. Realizing she could see nothing, she turned to face him, "That's so cool," she beamed at him, not noticing the embarrassed pink flush on his cheeks. "How you learned that?"

"I'm studying to be a chiropractor," he said, pride lacing his words.

"Wow," Alex said, resembling an awed child, "Can you teach me?"

He looked taken aback by her reaction, expecting her to comment on his appearance, yet for once, he was glad to be wrong, "Only if you refer to me as Mr. Miyagi,"

"Deal!" Alex agreed quickly, before narrowing her eyes, "Would that make me Daniel-San?"

"Yep."

* * *

"Add water, knead it and fold it," Ivan instructed.

Alex paused to stretch her sore muscles, when realization hit her, "Oh, I get it!" she said, startling Ivan from his reading.

"What?" he asked, grumpily picking up the magazine he dropped.

"This is like karate kid, right? You're teaching me how to fight with the pretense of teaching how to make darnitskiy!" Alex announced, proud and happy of her deductive skills.

Ivan shrugged, "Nope, I just didn't feel like doing it myself. Too much work," he said, starting to read again, not noticing the handful of flour flying in his direction till it was too late,

"Hey!" he called, preparing his revenge by grabbing two eggs, one on each hand.

Alex backed away, hitting her butt with the metal counter, "Stop!" she said, containing her laugh whilst reaching for a handful of baking powder.

"Ivan," Maria called her as she entered the kitchen, "Your dad needs help,"

He huffed, starting to walk away as his mother walked towards Alex, and at the last moment he, when Alex was distracted, slipped a cracked egg in her shirt. She made a face, but said nothing, she deserved it, in a way, that didn't mean she wasn't going to get him back.

"Everything okay dear?" Maria asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yes ma'am."

Maria hummed at her answer, as she neatly fixed her black hair in a bun.

"I'll wash my hands so I can help you. Was Ivan teaching you, or…?"

"Something like that," She said, not wanting to throw the blonde under the bus, she wanted revenge, but not like this.

"No need to cover him, I know how he is," Maria said, shaking her head, amused at her son's antics, "I'm glad he's laughing more,"

Alex nodded, but said nothing, not knowing how to respond.

At her silent, the woman continued, not minding her lack of an answer, "It's been hard, for all of us really… my husband's brother, the one in the photo," she said, hoping Alex knew who she was talking about, to which the girl nodded again, prompting her to continue, "He's very sick, we are trying to save as much money as we can to pay for his medicines but,… it's not easy."

Alex immediately felt guilty, since they now had to pay her, "I can find another job, there's a bakery not far from here-"

"No," the woman interrupted her, "There's no need for that, besides Aly told me about your work, and lucky for us a friend of mine is having her baby shower on Wednesday, and I might of told her we got a new baker, so…"

"That's amazing ma'am, has she told you about what she wants?"

"No, she'll come around lunch time to talk to you directly, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all, I'll be my pleasure."

"Good, because she also wants 100 decorated sugar cookies for her guests."

That day, Alex discovered Maria liked to talk, about everything. And to be honest, she didn't mind, so after hearing the story of how she meet her husband and the very detailed story of Ivan birth accompanied by some embarrassing photos, it was time for Alex to leave, and after assuring the trio she'll be fine and that, no, there was no need for Ivan to walk her home they let her go, not before her personal Mr. Miyagi reminded her to text once she was home safe and sound.

She walked alone a few blocks, till Happy's serious face came to view, waiting near the coffee shop, just like she had requested when he dropped her off in the morning. He raised a hand in greeting and moved to open the door for her. Contrasting heavily with her busied afternoon, the ride to Mr. Stark house was mostly silent, despite Alex tries to start a conversation, Happy's responses were short and curt, sensing the off atmosphere, she decided to remain quiet for the rest of the ride. She could talk to Jarvis about how her day went, she totally wasn't hurt about his indifference, not at all.

Her gut feeling told her that, somehow it was her fault, and the only thing that Alex could think of, was her earlier interview. Was it something that she said? Well, obviously it was that, maybe she should've kept her mouth closed and pretend she was deaf and wait for Happy to pick her up. But, despite the fact that Tony might be upset with her, she couldn't find it whiting herself to regret her words, and if she had to defend her opinion against whoever wanted to, she will do it with no hesitations, she'd fight Mr. Stark himself if she has to.

Lost in her thought, Alex didn't notice that Happy had opened the door and was patiently waiting for her to step out. He cleared his throat, making Alex visibly jump in her seat.

He gave her an apologetic look as she exited the car, and Alex brushed it off, instead opting to thank him and walk inside, mentally preparing herself to whatever she'll find inside.

As soon as she entered, she heard Pepper's heels frenetically walking around, followed by the sound of her exasperated voice, "Yes, Ms. Pines, I understand your point, but Mr. Stark is not interested in an interview right now," Pepper said, "I know, Mr. Stark team is aware of it,"

"She's been like that all day," Tony suddenly said from the sofa. "Have a seat," he patted the spot next to him, and Alex did as told, watching as Pepper disappeared into the kitchen.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Alex muttered as soon as she sat down, making Tony raise his brow in questioning.

"I didn't say you did, but… your little interview this morning, that's something entirely different.

She fidgeted with her fingers and looked down. This whole thing reminded her of that one time she had detention because she skipped classes once, just that Tony was way scarier than her high school principal.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked in a small voice, sinking further into her seat.

"Quite the contrary," Pepper intervened, handing her a glass of water as she shot a glare at Tony before fully turning to Alex with an uneasy smile, "I've been receiving lots of requests for interviews, -"

"Since this morning, Tony Stark is trending in social media and is also the most searched names this month, all thanks to you." Tony cut her off.

"Stark industries raised 27 points," Pepper continued, pretending Tony hasn't talked, "Everyone is trying to find out who you are, and as a result we're getting multiple offers for interviews, and for both of you to appear in Flannigan's talk show. Not only that, your words sparked a debated on twitter whether Mr. Stark was a good person, and so far, most people had agreed with you. You've been deemed as a mysterious girl created to clean Mr. Stark image."

Alex sighed, "I specifically told them my name to avoid stupid nicknames."

"It can't be helped kid," Tony said as he stood.

"We wouldn't be going to any of these, right? Because I'm a very nervous person and I might get verbal diarrhea in one of those talk shows."

Tony snorted, amused "We wouldn't. At least not to any of that."

Alex panicked, "What do you mean?" she asked, glancing at both them with wide eyes as she waited for an answer.

It was Pepper, who spoke first, "There's a benefit gala this Saturday, Mr. Stark usually doesn't attend these, but it would be good publicity for him and Stark industries." She informed her, "You wouldn't have to answer anything, Mr. Stark would take care of it."

Alex shook her head, "I'll do it, but I would like to get a heads up about any possible question or else... Also, I don't have a dress,"

"I'll take care of that," Pepper said, smiling brightly at her, "We'll get ready together."

Tony watched them with an unreadable expression. This morning he had received an unexpected call from Pepper, and after declining the first three he finally answered, not expecting to hear what he did. Immediately he had ordered Jarvis to google his name, and as soon as the result popped on the screen he was taken aback.

" _ **My personal thoughts might be a bit biased, but since you insist. Starks industries been doing weapons for the government for many years; weapons that had been of great aid through difficult times and helped guarantee the freedom Americans are so proud of and you're currently enjoying. Sadly, we live in a world where they are a necessary evil, I'm not excusing the use of them, neither the constants bloodshed caused by them, but are we really in the position to blame Mr. Stark for the weapons he makes but not the finger that pulls the trigger?"**_

He paused the video, shocked at the unknown sensation that filled him. He wasn't expecting that answer from her since she didn't seem like the type to do it. But the thing that stood out the most about her speech, wasn't her words, but the fiery passion in her eyes, and he knew she was telling the truth. So after Jarvis analyzed her body language, he was a hundred percent sure she was being honest.

" _Sir, are you crying?"_ Jarvis asked, mirth lacing his tone.

"You must be seeing things J, remind me to check your program," he quickly countered, blinking rapidly to get rid of the wetness in his eyes.

" _ **After all, if it wasn't Stark industries then it would be Hammer's or maybe a different one making them. But, I'm positive that Tony is barely gracing the beginning of his greatness, for I think he's set to do greater things than sit in his workshop all day creating weapons of destruction. One day, he will shed his own blood to protect the world and those precious to him, and all of you better be just as eager to interview me then as you are now. If you excuse me, I'm running late for work."**_

He swallowed hard, and pressed his lips in a thin line.

"Mr. Stark?" Pepper said from the other end of the line, reminding him that she was still listening.

"Yeah, I'm here."

* * *

Saturday came faster than Alex wanted to. She had spent the rest of the week preparing for this moment with Pepper and Jarvis help, (and Tony's side comments). First came the lesson on how to walk properly with heels, (that had been a painful afternoon) and she was glad she could heal herself, or else her knees would be painted with purple and blue, and they all knew what kind of comment those bruised would incite, so with a flushed face she had healed herself, ignoring Tony's laugh in the background.

Then came the possible questions, Pepper had tried her best to remain professional and asked very respectful questions, like who are you wearing tonight or how are you feeling, Tony had been, less family friendly and after Alex was done coughing after he asked if she was his lover, he had sat next to her and had promptly taught her how to answer those types of question without revealing anything but at the same time telling everything.

It was confusing at first, because she truly had no idea what to do or say, but Tony was quick to show Alex her infamous interview, he paused the video after Victoria asked her if she was a nightstand.

"There," he said, pointing to the screen, "After she spoke, the face you made, you looked ready to kick her ass, which she totally deserved if am honest, but you choose to smile and evade the question while still making people believe she was right."

"You didn't confirm nor denied anything, that's what he's trying to show you." Pepper clarified.

"I see, let's start again."

"So, are you and Mr. Stark lovers?" He asked, earning a choked sound from Alex as an answer.

"Tony!" Pepper scowled him as she threw a cushion at his direction.

"What?" He said innocently, "They'll ask thing like that and you know it. It's better if she is prepared for it."

Pepper had reluctantly agreed with him, so after they were positive she was ready, the red haired decided it was time for a pamper session. A simple face mask, a manicure and a pedicure were enough to make her feel like she was in heaven. She could get used to this.

After she was finished with her shower, Pepper handed her a baby blue gown. Alex held the dress over her chest to examine it, picturing herself walking beside Tony wearing such a fancy dress seemed like a dream, only a week ago her most expensive piece was a pink dress she bought in an offer. But this, it was completely stunning, the heart shaped cut along with the puffy sleeves and airy skirt gave it a magical feel to it.

"Our team recommended you wore a pastel color, they say it's important to create an innocent image for you," Pepper explained, helping Alex out of her robe.

"I feel like a princess." She confessed caressing the fabric of the skirt.

"That's the idea. Now sit down so I can do your hair and makeup." Pepper ordered, reaching for her wet hair with a comb and a hair dryer. She worked efficiently, and after discarding an elaborated hairstyle, Pepper decided to let her hair down, curling the ends of it and adding a hair piece to complete it. "Now it's time for makeup, I'll try to keep it simple." Alex hummed in response and Pepper began her magic. The brush glided gently on Alex face as the red haired applied foundation and blush to her complexion, then she patted a champagne colored eyeshadow in her lid, and finally she added a thin coat of lip gloss. "Done! Take a look and let me know what you think." She said, tilting her chin to the side to point the mirror in her bathroom.

Alex let out a gasp as she caught her reflection, "Can you do my makeup every day?" She inched closer, resisting the urge to touch her face. She still looked like herself, just better and prettier.

"I'll assume you like it." Pepper said, amused, handing her a mascara tube, "I'm not really good with this one, unless you want me to stab your eye with the wand?"

"I'll do it," Alex assured, opening the tube and forming an _"o"_ shape with her mouth, "Done! How do I look?"

"Stunning," Pepper said, resting her hands on Alex shoulders as she admired her work. "Go downstairs, I'll stay here to fix this mess, I'll be down soon." She said, motioning to the pile of discharged clothes and heels. "Remember, chin high, relaxed shoulders and…?"

"Straight posture!" Alex shouted as she exited her room, giving careful and slow steps to get used to her new heels.

Tony was waiting at the bottom of the stairs dressed in a steel grey suit and blue tie, checking something on his phone, raising his gaze only when Alex steps were loud enough for him to hear.

"Aww, we match," Alex said, referring to his tie matching perfectly the shade of her dress. "Can we take a photo?"

"I'll take it," Pepper said from behind her.

"A photo at the end of the stairs, this is no prom night, ya know?" Yet he still agreed, standing next her, resting a hand on her back as Alex placed hers in his chest.

"Of course is not, or else I'll be wearing a corsage."

A flashing light and it was done. "You clean up good kid," He complimented her after a moment of contemplation.

"Thanks Mr. Stark, you don't look so bad yourself."

* * *

Alex stomach was filled with butterflies and elephants as she waited for their time to walk the red carpet. She tightened her grip on Tony's arm, earning his attention.

"Relax, you'll be fine. Let me do the talking."

She shook her head, "I can't just stand there and look pretty," she said, and lowering her voice so only he could hear, "If I start saying nonsense…"

"Verbal diarrhea." He corrected, and Alex snorted. "I'll stop you, duly noted." He promised, momentarily calming the turmoil inside her.

"You're next," Pepper whispered from behind them. "Right after Mr. Sanz and his wife," the woman patted Alex and offered her a comforting smile, "Don't worry sweetie, you're ready." A light squeeze of her shoulder and then, she was gently pushing her, "It's time,"

As soon as they came to view, it seemed all the cameras were trained in their figures, a sea of voices called for their attention, but for her sake, Tony ignored them, only stopping once they were half way done, not without posing a few times to calm them.

A man called for her, and Alex smiled without showing her teeth and waved as they approached him.

"Good evening," she greeted, and the man smile widened, his face resembled a ventriloquist doll as he motioned his camera man to start recording her.

"Good evening Alexandra, or should I say mysterious girl?" he joked in a sing song voice, and she laughed.

Alex glanced to the side, only to find Tony busy with his own interview, well shit, "Alexandra is fine," She said, forcing herself to remember the answers she'd learned and practiced just moments ago in the ride here.

And to her luck, "How are you doing tonight?"

She relaxed at that, "I'm doing well, a bit overwhelmed by the flashes and all of that."

His eyes sparkled with joy, "It's your first time in a gala then? There were multiple theories online about your origins, and to be honest, my favorite one, was that you were an android created by Mr. Stark to be his partner," he said cryptically, and Alex understood his hidden meaning.

She gave a hearty laugh, as she shook her head, "Oh my, I haven't been online this past week, so is a surprise to hear that, and before anyone starts making more theories about me. I'm not an android,"

He nodded, satisfied with her answer, yet Alex could tell he wasn't done, "So you and Mr. Stark… What's the dealt with you two?"

There it is, the question she was dreading, "We live together, have been for the past weeks"

"Just that? C'mon are you sure there's nothing else?" he winked at her suggestively.

"Nope, unless he wiped my memory before coming," She joked earning an amused laugh from him.

"Your speech the other day, was very sentimental for someone that claims to only know him for a little while."

"I'm a passionate person, and I like to believe there's good in everyone."

"That's a bit naïve of you," he countered, "You'll be disappointed sooner than you expect."

"And why is that?" She asked defensively, without losing the smile she had approached him with.

He became notoriously nervous as he glanced sideways in Tony's direction, "Well, you're aware of Mr. Stark fame… he's not the whites dove in Malibu,"

Her blood boiled, but she refrained from biting his head off, "Stark industries had the highest pay rate ever recorded, along with the multiple benefits the employees have, besides the generous amounts he donates to many charities monthly, one that I might remind you, is the reason you're here. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to check on him. Have a good rest of your evening." She said politely, walking away towards Tony.

"Hey, looks who's here!" he announced joyfully, lifting his right arm to pull her closer. "This is Anna," he introduced, pointing to the pretty brunette in front of them, "Anna, this Alex."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alex, I've been waiting to interview you all week!"

Speechless, she could only nod.

"Who are you wearing tonight?" Anna asked, before turning her mic towards Alex.

"I genuinely have no idea," she confessed, looking down at her dress as she did so, "It was a gift from Ms. Pots,"

"How generous of her, I thought it was a gift from Mr. Stark," she gave a pointed look to Tony as she spoke.

Crap, Alex thought before answering, "In a way it's it, after all he's the one that pay for her salary isn't it?"

The woman chuckled, throwing her head back as she did so, "Well, if you put it like that, then I have to agree. She's quite something Mr. Stark,"

"She is," Tony agreed, looking at Alex momentarily before he returned his gaze towards the brunette.

The woman was preparing herself for another round of questions, but a buzzing sound coming from her side caught her attention, "it seems our time is over. I hope you two enjoy your night,"

"You too ma'am," Alex said, grinning as she waved.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Tony asked once they were inside.

"Don't be so sure," she warned as they were intercepted by Pepper.

"There you are," she let out a relieved sigh, "Rhodey is waiting for you,"

Alex blinked, Rhodey was here? She looked around and found him walking in their direction, dressed impeccably in his uniform.

"Tony," he greeted the man next to her, and after a manly hug he turned to her, "And you must be Alex, I'm Colonel James Rhodes" he said, shaking her hand. "I heard a lot about you."

Alex broke out of her daze, and narrowed her eyes at Tony, who shrugged his shoulders in false innocence, "Only good things, I hope,"

"Of course, but to be honest your verbal impediment didn't make an appearance tonight, you handled those vultures with efficiency,"

Alex gasped, "You told him about the verbal," she lowered her voice, "diarrhea? Maybe I should tell him about how we met… "

A new voice chimed in, "please do so, I'm eager to hear it. Obadiah Stane at your services, though you can call me Obi."

Her stomach knotted and her hands began to tremble as she struggled to maintain her composure. Her skin felt as if a million needles were piercing her flesh simultaneously as she extended her free hand towards him.

Obadiah pressed a light kiss in her knuckles and Alex forced herself not to gag, and instead she placed a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes, and with a pleasant tone she said: "I'm Alexandra, nice to meet you sir."

* * *

 **pls don't hate me c:**

 **Dun dun duuuuu ! the moment has arrived... The iron man 1 events will take place next chapter.**

 **Spoiler: Prepare your tissues, it might get emotional.**

 **Also, recommend me a song, I need to update my playlist.**

 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, following! Don't forget to vote. Have a nice weekend my little pumpkins!**


	6. Lemon frosting

**Hello sweet readers, I'm finally back. I would like to apologize for the long wait, this past months hadn't been my best, been very busy finishing this semester and working nonstop, most of my free time was spent doing my assignments or sleeping, so I haven't had a chance to sit down a write my heart out like I would like to. With that being said, thank you for your patience, and welcome new readers (I don't usually disappear this long) Also thank you for the 200 followers, it seems like yesterday when I was super nervous to upload my first fic.**

 **P.S: Thanks for the songs recommendation, both my playlist and I are very thankful.**

 **Review:**

 **Angelicsailor: I can't stop replaying hallway there, I'm obsessed.**

 **wickedlfairy17: say you love me hit me in the feels/ also I never heard that song of sia, I love it!**

 **SunnySides: Sadly he is not, Obie is just plain evil. I was having a hard time writing something positive without sounding too biased. Glad I accomplished it.**

 **Guest: Thanks lovely guest**

 **Evilhyperpixie13: Baking cookies is good to heal broken super soldiers. Bucky will certified it in future chapters.**

 **Blueowl: Some things will change, just her being there has changed things c:**

 **Anissa: I can't promise anything./ She knows about the giant raisin and the stones.**

 **DandDgirl: Thank you for the lembas, you're the best! I had no idea pirate metal was a thing, incredible. Burn is amazing, it makes me want to close my eyes and listen to it as I daydream, no wonder is your fave song. That Florence song send shivers down my spine, it reminded of games of thrones lol. P.S: Your bribes always make me laugh! I love reading them.**

 **TheManyFacesOfAnon: Thanks! Well, for other pairings I have no idea, I'm letting the readers come with the names lol.**

 **SilverNightmares: I agree, Tony deserves more love.**

 **Ten Duel Commandments: Thank you for the advice and your kind words!**

 **IcyMangoFangirl: I love spidey too, but he is too young for her L. But that doesn't meant they wouldn't interact…**

 **Juury: wise decision.**

 **Rosier-Sama: Thank you, I really tried not to make her sound too biased. I might include his reaction in other chapter (? My Rhodey is Don Cheadle, but feel free to picture Terrence Howard if you want. I'm still developing Alex powers, since I don't want to make her an overpowered warrior from day to night, but you have amazing ideas that I might include depending on how this progress.**

 **Eterna the water phoenix: of course you can! Thank you for voting.**

 **Sakura Hatsu: Amazing covers, Ready Steady Go brought back so many memories c:**

 **Jinchaa: Agree, Tony deserves better.**

 **nathaliedew98: Well thank you! I'm glad you like it C:**

 **Znkp: I like tony too.**

 **Jade Bottle: I feel you, writers block suck. I'm glad I could be of help c:**

 **Otaku-neku: That's an interesting point of view, but I guess you're right, they don't treat her wrong but the constant questioning can be a bit intense. About the dialogue, thank you, I try my best to keep it entertaining.**

 **VOTES:**

 **Bucky: 13**

 **Tony: 9**

 **Steve: 6**

 **Thor: 6**

 **Loki: 5**

 **Hulk/Bruce: 1**

 **It seems we have two favorites ;)**

* * *

Alex remained impassive in the outside, grateful for the shield that the wooden table provided to hide her clenched fist. Tony sat next to her, talking lively with the cause of her current despair. If Obadiah noticed the discomfort he caused her, he didn't mention it, instead, he reciprocated Tony's conversation with friendliness, laughing vigorously after one of Tony's comments. Rhodey was gone, busy talking with another guest, and Pepper, had left a while back, to use the restroom if Alex recalled correctly. So she was alone, if Tony decided to leave, she was screwed.

She took a small sip of her juice, and suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder. Alex pressed her lips together, to stop herself from screaming or dying from a coughing fit.

"Sorry," Came Pepper voice as she handed her a napkin. "I found the restroom," was all she said, as she brought Alex to stand next to her, Pepper turned to the other occupants of the table with an apologetic smile adorning her lips. "If you'll excuse us…"

Alex didn't hear the rest, and next thing she knew she was standing in a storage room, with a broomstick poking her ribs and her retinas being burned by a yellow light bulb.

Pepper awkwardly stood in front of her, smoothing her gray dress before she spoke, "Are you okay?"

Alex frowned, was she okay? Physically? Yes, mentally? Absolutely not. Yet she kept this to herself, "I'm fine, just a bit overwhelmed."

"Because of Obadiah?" The woman pressed, and by the widening of Alex eyes she knew she was right. "… Had you met him before?"

Not knowing what to say, Alex just shook her head. "Not personally," she said, which was true. "But, I've heard of him."

Pepper nodded at this, momentarily pausing to analyze Alex, "We barely know each other," She said, letting out a sight and approaching Alex, her blue gaze locked with her brown one and Alex swallowed nervously at the intensity in them, "but if he does or says something inappropriate to you, I want you to tell me immediately." A light squeeze of her shoulder prompted Alex to nod, not trusting her words at the moment. Pepper expression softened as she smiled gently, "Good, and between us," she leaned closer, "I never liked him that much."

Relief invaded Alex as an invisible weight lifted from her shoulders. She was glad Pepper was still holding her because her legs were ready to give up.

"After all, girls need to look after each other."

Those words meant a lot to her, so it wasn't a surprise that in that tiny storage room, at the verge of a breakdown, Alex bowed to protect Pepper with her everything.

Later, when they returned to their table, Pepper took Alex's seat next to Tony and had her sit next to him, and pretending not to notice the stare he gave her she turned to Alex, taking a sip of her champagne before engaging Alex in a conversation.

Tony let them be, he was glad Alex seemed more composed now than before. It took him by surprise, how quickly her demeanor had changed as soon as Obadiah appeared, he didn't want to draw any early conclusion, but if he had to guess, he was betting his money that his old friend wasn't Alex favorite person. That left him feeling confused, as far as he knew, she hadn't met Obadiah before, so her reaction didn't make sense, though, it could easily be attributed to her being nervous, Alex never gave him the impression of being this shy, heck the girl had been sassing him since their first encounter.

The rest of the night was peaceful, as peaceful as it could be with Obadiah trying to engage a conversation with her, at first it had been innocent questions, like her age and if she had any hobbies, but then, once he seemed tired of her vague answers and Tony had been called to give a speech, his whole face changed.

"So, what are your plans with Tony?" he asked before sipping his wine.

Pepper head snapped in his direction, her lips pressed into a thin line and her jaw clenched.

Her stomach knotted in response, "I don't understand your question." she managed to say without stuttering.

He smirked, leaning closer to them, "You'll have to excuse me dear, but when a young beautiful lady like yourself enters the life of a successful businessman like Tony out of thin air, you can't be surprised that his friends are going to be suspicious," he said in a fake fatherly tone, and then he turned to Pepper, "Yet it seems that you managed to make a friend for yourself." He leaned back, relaxing in his seat, his gaze moving from Alex to Pepper in contemplation, "Whatever you're planning little girl, let me tell you it won't work, so you can take the easy route and leave on your own or-"

"That's enough," Pepper interrupted him, her voice calm and stern, "Alex is under Mr. Stark protection and mine as well, so I would greatly appreciate if you didn't threaten her right in front of me."

Alex was going to be sick, she never would've thought Obadiah would be so bold as to confront her in a public space with Pepper next to her, she opened her mouth and almost closed when his gaze settled in her, "Thank you for your advice, but the only way I'm leaving is when Tony tells me himself, for now I'll stay by his side. So if you could be so kind to keep your advices to yourself until I tell you otherwise I'll greatly appreciated."

His face was blank and betrayed nothing, yet Alex could see a hint of his rage, through his clenched jaw and white knuckles.

"Hey! Why is everyone so quiet?" Rhodey asked, appearing out of nowhere.

Alex released a breath she didn't know she was holding and Pepper straightened herself, discreetly looking sideways to check on her. Alex avoided her gaze, looking down instead as she dropped the butter knife she had grabbed when she had returned with Pepper from their break. It fell silently on the carpeted floor and she pushed it under the table with her foot, she unclenched her left hand surprised to find it glowing a deeper shade of purple than usual, this time she didn't hide her frown, she was positive her healing powers tended to have a more lilac hue to them, unless… Oh Lady Eir, what have you done?

* * *

Three days had passed since her confrontation with Obadiah, and after convincing Pepper not to say anything to Tony she was slowly returning to her daily routine. It was hard to convince her to keep quiet, but at the end Pepper had promised it, as long as Alex maintained her distance from Obadiah and told her if he tried to threaten her again she would keep her promise.

It was foolish, and extremely stupid of Alex not to say anything to Tony, but if he grew suspicious of Obadiah earlier than he was supposed to, things could go downhill really fast, and she refused to be the reason Iron Man wouldn't exist. On the other hand, she had been embarrassed by her reaction when she met him, she had been so obvious of her distaste towards him than even Pepper had noticed, she needed to be more careful, because Obadiah was literally the tip of the iceberg and he was human, and yet he managed to scare her, she was disgusted with herself, she had the power of a goddess surging thought her veins and here she was, trembling like a kitten before a scum like him, and she refused to be the fearful girl she used to be, she was tired of being afraid of the future, she wanted to stand next to Tony, to be his equal and fight alongside him, and with that in mind she jumped of bed, threw a hoodie over her tank top and tied her sneakers hastily, she was ready to fight.

Using the shadows to hide herself, Alex sneaked out of the house, and ran to the only place that could help her.

"You again?" The guard asked, boredom lacing his tone. But the grin on his face told her he was expecting her. "Go in, there's a few or your friends that want to give you a warm welcome." He moved aside, and before she opened the door, he whispered in her ear, "took you long enough, have fun!"

She didn't time to dwell on his words before she was suddenly yanked to the boxing ring. Momentarily blinded by the lights Alex didn't notice the man standing in the other end.

Shouts and chants filled the room, and her vision finally adjusted. Her eyes widened slightly when she caught sight of her opponent. He was tall, with a lanky figure covered in intricate tattoos, a bald head and piercing grey eyes.

Despite his outer appearance, Alex wasn't scared, so when he walked closer to her and grabbed her hand, she didn't even flinch.

He looked at her, his grey eyes searching for something and when he seemed to find it, he turned to their public and raised her hand.

"This is Alexandra," He said and the crown cheered, and Alex was surprised he knew her name. "A few days ago she was attacked by one of our own, someone we used to call our brother," They booed loudly, and with a motion of his hand, they all fell silent. "His action brought shame to our name, our cause, men like that cannot walk among us freely, if any of you try to harm anyone you'll receive the same punishment." He warned, they all seemed to agree with him, and pleased with that he turned to Alex. "In behalf of the nameless I apologized for our fallen brother behavior, and I can assure, he would never harm you or anyone again."

 _Oh shit, what kind of mess was she in?_

"Thanks," she said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say to the weird man.

He took no offence in her words, how could he? In his eyes she was still a child that needed guidance. "We lost a brother, but we gained a sister!" The crown cheered and Alex saw sure her soul left her body.

"There's a misunderstanding," she began, trying to explain herself, but he wasn't having it.

"Then why are you here? You came here with a purpose, didn't you? I see it in your eyes."

 _How did he knew?_

"Yes, but I didn't think I'll end up joining a gang!"

He laughed, his shoulder shaking with his laughter, "We're not a gang, as you may notice we're not a simple fight club, there's a reason why we do this,"

"I don't know if you noticed, but I not a mind reader and I'm having a hard time understanding."

Another laugh, and Alex gritted her teeth in annoyance, "We fight for the weak," he said simply. "The money we raise is given to those that barely have anything to eat. Above us," he said, pointing to the rooftop and Alex eyes followed his motion, "There's a total of 15 families living in this run down building, they depend mostly on us and their little income, most of them had issues with gangs or worse, they came to us because they wanted a change."

"So you force them to fight?" she said without thinking.

Thankfully, he wasn't offended, "I don't force anyone, this is merely one of the things we do to raise money, we don't kill, we don't steal or rape. We help these people get back on their feet. If you don't believe let's take a look around,"

Without much of a choice Alex followed behind him as they entered to a black door that she hadn't seen, before she completely disappeared behind the door, she frantically looked for a familiar face and was relieve when she found Ivan staring back at her, he wasn't angry nor looked surprised to see her there, he smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up and the door closed before she could smile back.

They entered a dark hallway and the more they advanced it was easier for Alex to navigate in the dark.

"I apologize for the lack of light, but we tried to save money as much as we can," he explained. "I'm Dean by the way,"

Alex nodded, even though he couldn't see her and felt silly for doing so.

They reached a big wooden door and Alex could see light peeking under it, laughter filled the silence and Alex was even more confused than before.

He opened the door and the laughter died down, instead it was replaced by a little gasp.

"Daddy!" screamed a little girl, no older than 5 running towards them, her brown pigtail bouncing with every step she took.

Next to her, Dean knelt meeting her embrace eagerly, "Ella, this is Alexandra she is our new member,"

Another gasp and the little girl turned her attention towards her, "are you sure? She doesn't look very strong." She said making a face.

"I don't look like much, but I promise I can pack a good punch," she said, smiling, and Ella smiled back at her.

"I want to see your first flight!" Ella beamed at her.

Dean pressed a kiss on her forehead, "C'mon baby, it's time to go to bed,"

She pouted, and stomped her tiny feet, "it's not fair,"

"Life isn't fair," Dean said in a joking matter poking her forehead, she huffed turning around an existing the room. "She's going to be the death of me," he said, sighing, "Have a seat, I know you have a lot of questions."

She obeyed and sat in the tattered leather couch, he sat at the other end.

Involuntarily, she grimaced, "So, I don't really have a choice, do I?"

He shook his head, "We lost a fighter and we can afford to wait for someone else. He was one of the best, and from what I heard from you, you are quite the fighter."

"I'm afraid Ivan forgot to mention that I end up in the floor most of the time."

"Listen, I know this whole situation seems fucked up, and it is, but I promise were not the bad guys, people have a morbid sense of fun and we take advantage of it. There's 8 children under our care, with the money we raise we are able to send them to school and keep their stomachs full, there's 3 elders living on the second floor, we found them in the street begging for money to pay for their medicines, one of the kids that cleans the ring was on the verge of dying when Ivan found him, we brought him here and now he's graduating high school this year, Yolanda the woman who serves the drinks was running from her abusing family, she has a home of her own now and still works here to help. I'm not asking you to stay here forever, just a few fights till we find a replacement. He was one of our biggest attractions, people spent hundreds on him, and without him it would be harder to support my family. You are the girl that took him down easily, that surely will attract lots of people."

Alex was having a hard time making up her mind, she could just jump out the window (she was positive she wouldn't die from it) yet, there was something stopping her from doing her superhero scape. This was her opportunity to learn how to fight properly from different people, she would be able to kick ass in hundreds of ways and she'll be helping a good cause, also she'll finally be able to defend herself and help Tony.

"I'll do it."

Dean smiled and stood, leaving her alone for a moment before he returned with a box and a bottle of isopropyl alcohol. "You almost made me believe you'll leave. Thank you." He opened the box, revealing a tattoo machine and a bottle with black ink.

"Something tells me you're not going to add another tattoo to your collection."

He shook his head, looking apologetic, "Sorry, every member has one."

"Are you sure you're not a gang?" she asked, offering her arm.

He snorted, "No, but it seems you already have one of your own," he said pointing to her Valkyrie mark. "That's good, it means this shouldn't hurt too much."

Alex licked her lips nervously, she couldn't' believe she was doing this, a small price to pay.

"Wait!" she said suddenly, startling him, "Can you do it on the other arm? I want to have only this one in this arm," she said, referring to her mark.

"Sure thing."

* * *

By the end of the night, her left wrist ached, but a happy smile was on her face as she walked the empty streets covered in bruises and some dried blood. The newest and first tattoo was a tiny arrow _, "since we are like robin hood, without robbing the rich, just the part where we give to the poor."_ Had been Dean explanation.

Hiding the tattoo from Tony had been easy, all she needed to do was use long sleeve shirts or hide her wrist with a hair tie. The pain had disappeared the first day, mostly thanks to her fastening the healing process. Ivan had become a closer friend to her. Now, he spent more time training her in the morning so she wouldn't get her ass kicked in the ring as he so kindly put it.

"Hey Daniel-San hurry up with the frosting!" Ivan shouted, "You've been daydreaming for the past 10 minutes," he said, and Alex knew he was shaking his head in disapproval.

Alex blinked and looked down, realizing she had stopped mixing a long time ago, "Sorry, I'll be done soon!" She shouted back, adding a tablespoon of lemon juice and powdered sugar.

2 minutes later and her frosting was light and fluffy, meaning it was ready to use. Ivan moved closer, carrying a tray of vanilla cupcakes along with another tray with lemon cupcakes.

"I'll do the lemon ones, you'll take care of the others," he said, handing her a piping bag that Alex filled with frosting, he did the same, just that he used a raspberry frosting for his batch.

Ivan clicked his tongue, "Perfect," he said, showing Alex his frosted cupcake. Alex narrowed her eyes when she noticed the arrow tattoo on his wrist, "You finally noticed, took you long enough." He mocked.

Alex pouted, "Is not my fault you look like the walls of an abandoned house," she responded, enjoying how he rolled his eyes at her comment. "How was I supposed to see it when you have that abomination" she pointed to the chubby Pikachu tattoo under the arrow.

He gasped, dropping his piping bag in the counter and taking a bite of the cupcake, "Chubby Pikachu is the best tattoo I have!" he defended, before shoving the rest of the cupcake in his mouth.

Alex bit her lips to contain her laughter, "You ate the liner,"

Ivan eyes widened as he started to cough, "I did it on purpose."

"Sure you did," Alex teased, "Hurry up I want to leave early today. Dean promised me he would teach a new move." She said excitedly, refilling her piping bag with the lemon frosting.

"Don't hurry me, it's your fault we're so far behind!" He said exasperatedly, "If you haven't decided to daydream in the middle of work, maybe we'll be on our way to the ring by now."

"Oh shush, we all make mistakes."

Ivan nodded in agreement, before turning to her with an evil grin, "indeed we do." He said as he pressed a frosted cupcake in her cheek.

They arrived to the ring later than expected, covered in frosting and cupcake crumbs. Dean merely watches them with an unreadable expression, before he shook his head, the beginning of a sincere smile forming on his lips. "Get in the ring, we have a lot to do," he said to Alex.

The place was more illuminated now, making it easier for Alex to spot Ivan helping around, moving chairs and tables as another kid, (whose name Alex had yet to learn) was cleaning the floor, removing the blood stains that seemed permanent in the concrete floor. Yolanda on the other hand, was wiping the counter as someone else replenished the empty barrels of beer. Ella, like she had promised was sitting in a chair bouncing with excitement as she waved at Alex

"I'm not going easy on you," Dean warned, wrapping his hand with a strip of white cloth.

Her stomach was filled with butterflies and anxiety, yet she couldn't help but feel excited, "I would be offended if you did," She replied confidently as she wrapped her hands as well leaving her fingers exposed. She flexed them a few times, to make sure she still had full mobility. "I'm ready! Bring it-"She couldn't finish her sentence when a kick to her ribs had her doubling over. Her knees touched the ground first, then her left palm was forced to support her whole weight as her right hand clutched her side.

"Stand up little lady, I barely hit you!" Dean taunted from behind.

He was right, this was nothing, and she was stronger than this. Alex swiveled in her heel raising her fist to return the favor, when pain exploded in her left cheek.

"C'mon Alex! You can do it" Ivan shouted.

Alex was vaguely aware of him, suddenly disoriented as her vision filled with black spots. Heck no, she refused to faint just with two punches. A metallic taste filled her mouth and she wasted no time to spit out the blood, hearing a complaint from the kid that was cleaning the ground. She wiped the side of her mouth, staining the former white cloth with her blood.

She fixed her stance as a strange sensation invaded her. Adrenaline? Maybe, she wasn't entirely sure, but now wasn't the moment to dwell on it. Discreetly, she regarded both of her fist, and satisfied that they weren't glowing, she waited for him to charge again, and when he did, she was prepared to receive the impact. A sickening crack entered her ears, she knew it came from her, but she shoved the thought aside and concentrated in her next move. His arm was still raised, and Alex took that chance to duck under it and raising her knee, she hit him in the stomach, it was his turn to bend, just like she had earlier on. Taking advantage of his distraction she grabbed his still raised arm and put it over her shoulder, turned her back at him and with all her strength she threw him over her shoulder.

Alex was breathing hard, Dean was now staring at her, his gaze full with pride as he stood.

"You need to do more than that to take me down." He taunted.

Alex wiped her face with her shirt, doing more damage than good, since now her face was smeared with blood and sweat, and maybe a little bit of frosting and cupcake crumbs.

Unknown to her, the place had opened a while ago, a crowd had gathered around the ring to see the fight, most of them were chanting his name, with the exception of Ivan that was screaming his lungs out cheering for her. Even Ella, (who was currently sitting on Ivan shoulders since the crowd had blocked her view,) was screaming her name.

Alex smirked, "I know. Just so you're aware, I could do this all day." Her breathing had even out, the pain had subdued considerably and millions of ideas were running in her head. She was shocked by the amount of strategies her brain was producing, but was even more shocked to realize she wasn't tired. If she wasn't going to win, she might as well give a fight worth betting on.

With that in mind, she charged at him.

* * *

 **Dun dun duuuu**

 **Ah yes, Alex still has a lot to learn. She's very far from being a fearless warrior.**

 **I promise tears in this chapters, but I didn't want to hurry everything up by having Tony kidnapped so soon, I need to build Alex character better. Maybe next chapter...**

 **Fun fact: reviews make me very happy.**


	7. achievement unlocked: Tragic backstory

**Chapter 7:**

 **Good evening everyone. Today's chapter is a bit of an emotional one ? I'm not sure, please make sure to let me know what you think of it.**

 **Sakura Hatsu: I know, but a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my grades so is hard for me to slow down :c**

 **Mistress Belfray: Thank you for your words, I know, people don't give Tony enough love. He deserves it.**

 **Guest: thank you guest.**

 **TheManyFacesOfAnon: yeii I'm back again. Is a possibility, though the Valkyrie uniform is still another of my choices.**

 **Rosier-Sama: Obi is a dick, and sadly you're right. Thank you for the song rec! You're the best**

 **Blueowl: Yep, is important to create a strong build for an oc before the interesting stuff start to happen.**

 **Loki-says-smile: Yes, Valkyries would kick ass without problem, but Alex is still learning :c**

 **SilverNightmares: Interesting analysis, this is what I wanted when I asked for opinions.**

 **Samara Holmes: Thank you, you're making me blush, I'm glad you like my writing.**

 **daisy2daizy: thank you dear!**

 **Nacheell: oh goodness, the drama that would result from something like that ;)**

 **MagicWarriorDragon: I'm glad you're liking it so far. Thank you for the kind words.**

 **Anissa: Oh my, it seems everyone is in a mood for love triangles and drama.**

 **Izzy: Aww you're so sweet, thank you.**

 **Entling: Thank you, it makes me very glad to read this, because I needed it so badly. I do enjoy a bit of angst here and there to add a little drama, but overdoing it is a huge no no, because I'm a crybaby and a sucker for happy endings, so don't worry I wouldn't fall in the trap.**

 **AvengersQueen: is it that obvious? You might change your mind after this chapter.**

 **Special thanks to: marylopez0812- Whovianeverlark17 – Mari- casual-geek- ApatheticGamer- UnknownReaderHasJoined- AnimeFreak71777- YuueIsa- Scarlet Angel Light- AnimeLover- Nameless Angel 00- seraphina987- JackFamily.**

 **All of your lovely reviews inspire to continue writing Alex adventures.**

 **With that being said, enjoy! I look forward to your reviews.**

 **Disclaimer: i own nothing, just Alex and Ivan, oh and any other character you don't recognize, _they're mine_ c:**

 **Poll results:**

 **We have 2 strong contestants:**

 **Bucky: 22**

 **Tony: 20**

 **Everyone else can go home now. Sorry Steve, Loki, Thor, Bruce, no alex for either of you.**

* * *

 _ **"When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."** - **Audre Lorde**_

* * *

Alex hummed in delight, enjoying the warmth provided by her blanket. It was one of those days she was feeling lazy and tempted to sleep in, and her soft bed wasn't helping. After last night beating, who could blame her? She was getting better though, or so Ivan and Dean told her. She still received a punch or two and had broken her nose twice or more, but she was happy with her progress in such a short time. If she kept her routine she'll become a proper Valkyrie in no time. She was so proud of herself, last time she felt like this was when she got congratulated for her first wedding cake.

Letting aside any thought of her previous life, Alex jumped out of bed. Ready to start her day.

" _Good morning, Miss Alexandra_ ," Jarvis greeted her politely. " _It's 5:30 am, the weather in Malibu is 58 degrees Fahrenheit with a low chance of precipitation and a humidity of 81%. Today is the 28th of January 2009."_

"Thanks for the info Jarvis." She answered without thinking, but then, it hit her like a train, a bucket of cold water hitting her body without warning. The realization that Tony's kidnapping was only a few days away. A strange pressure welcome itself in her chest, traveling all the way down to her stomach, slowly constricting her lungs, she could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest, the blood rushing around her body as she fought to regain control. She felt, the carpeted floor cushioning her knees from most of the pain. She was shaking now, tears escaped her eyes, and then, someone held her.

"Shush," Tony said softly against her hair. "I'm here, you're safe. Nothing is going to happen."

Alex cried harder, hearing his voice, made everything feel more real. It was really happening, it's a matter of days the Tony she knew would be gone. Something inside of him would die that day, and she knew, she could stop it. Save him from all the pain and sorrow, yet, a voice in her head, her rational side was taking control. She would remain quiet, from the greater good, Iron man needed to be born from Tony's darkest moments. She could only hope, that when the moment came, he could forgive her.

How could she be so naïve, she had been so distracted this past week to notice the approaching date. It was her own fault she wasn't mentally prepared for it.

He rested her head against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat calming her down. He was whispering something that she couldn't quiet made out with all the information sweeping through her head.

"Tony," she called his name with her raspy voice, holding his face with her trembling hands, "You'll be fine." She closed her eyes, before opening them again, this time with more determination she said: "You'll be fine, I'll make sure of it."

Tony nodded, not quite sure of what she meant by her promise. But, he still held her, trying not to squeeze her body too hard, the last thing he wanted was to make things worse by making her feel suffocated. They remained like that for a long time, Alex whimpers silently and he, holding her, offering his silent comfort. It seemed to be working, because soon, only her hiccups could be heard. He retreated a little, still keeping his arms around her frame,

"You okay?"

She nodded, her short hair, creating a long enough black curtain that hid her face.

He bit his lip, not knowing what else to say. He was glad she was better though, the moment Jarvis told him Alex was unwell he raced the stairs and his heart sank with worry when he saw how small she looked cowering in the corner of her room.

"Let's get something to eat," He helped her up, and silently walked towards the kitchen, "I hope you're not a picky eater because I'm not much of a cook."

Alex snorted, a hint of a smiled appeared on her lips, "You can be that bad. You survived this far without me,"

Tony sighed, "Alright, but you asked for it," he warned as he pulled a pan and a spatula, "So don't come crying when your ass ends up glued to the toilet seat."

Alex giggled, shaking her head as she did so, "I promise I won't sue you if I get an explosive diarrhea."

He grinned, placing the pan in the stove along a pot of hot chocolate, "Remember, everything you said is recorded by Jarvis, so I'm allowed to use this audio as evidence."

Alex panicked, "w-what?" she asked in disbelief, blushing in embarrassment.

Tony smirked at her expression, and raised an eyebrow, "you didn't know?" he asked in false innocence.

She looked down, the memories of her dancing and singing around her room were currently the cause of her distress. "Have you? Please…"

Tony chucked, "Don't worry, I'm not that mean. Your privacy is still intact." He said as he flipped a pancake, "But I must admit I'm a fan or your cover of Radio Gaga, especially the dance you do in the chorus,"

Alex growled, resting her forehead on the granite counter to hide her red face as Tony let out a booming laugh. "You're the worst."

"I'm not that bad. That's the only one I've seen."

She peered at him, still hiding most of her face, "swear it."

He placed his right hand on his heart, "I swear it by my honor."

Alex pouted, "That doesn't make me feel any better."

He clicked his tongue, "Wasn't trying to."

* * *

The comfort provided by Tony quickly faded as Happy drove away from the mansion. She rested her head against the window, cursing quietly when her head bumped harshly against the glass.

 _Stupid music videos, they lied to me._

"We're here" Happy announced, "Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up?"

"Yes, a friend from work is giving me a ride." She lied smoothly.

Happy contemplated her answer for a second, before nodding, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Take care Happy!" she called over her shoulder, running towards the bakery.

It was horrible lying to Happy, after all he hasn't done nothing wrong, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Today would be her last fight with the nameless. When Tony's kidnapping happened, the last thing she wanted was to be related to them. They were good people with good intentions, too bad the media wouldn't see it like that. For them, she wouldn't be more than a gold digger that appeared at the right time for Tony kidnapping, and honestly, she didn't blame them, it was too convenient, even for her. It was the logical conclusion. So, with that in mind, she had spent the ride here thinking about all the possible outcomes.

Worst case scenarios she gets blamed for his disappearance, but without proof there isn't much they could do so she gets to roam free till Tony returns as Iron man, maybe she could stay with Ivan, or maybe Pepper? Why did she choose to leave all the important thinking for the last moment?

She was frustrated with herself, she focused so much in one thing that completely forgot the other. So typical of her. With a sight she made her way inside. It would be a long day, and she didn't want anyone questioning her, so before she fully stepped in, she plastered a smile on her lips.

Ivan raised his brow, "I was wondering when you'll come in."

Alex rolled her eyes, "Good morning to you too, and I'm late because Tony Stark burned my breakfast and had to start over like three times,"

Ivan laughed as he wrote her excuse, "This one is the funniest one so far. I wonder what you'll come up with for tomorrow."

He stared at her longer than usual, making her shift uncomfortably in her feet, "Something wrong?"

"What happened to your bruises? He asked, coming closer and tilting her chin up with his flour covered hand. "I'm sure Dean got you good last night,"

Alex screamed internally, how could she forgot about that! She had healed them so Tony wouldn't ask about them, "Makeup. I'm wearing makeup," second lie of the day, another one and she would be just like Pinocchio's. Just without the nose growing and the whale thing.

"Good. I wouldn't want my mom seeing you like that, knowing her, she'll probably find a way to blame me."

Alex nodded silently, she didn't know how to continue the conversation, but then her phone rang and she let out a relieve sigh. "Sorry, it's important," she apologized, already walking outside to answer.

"When you're done, meet me downstairs!"

"Will do!" she shouted before sliding her finger on the screen, "Good morning, Alex speaking,"

"Good morning, Alex. You sleep well?" Pepper asked from the other end.

Alex nodded, even though Pepper couldn't see her, "I did. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get my number?"

"Oh," she paused as if she was suddenly embarrassed, "I asked Mr. Stark for it. Remember what I told you the other day? That we could be friends?" she said more to herself than anything, "I know it can be a little weird since I'm older than you, but I always wanted to have a girls day, and I got a coupon for a spa day for two and-"

"I'll would love to go with you Ms. Pots," Alex interrupted her excitedly, bouncing on her feet, "I never been to a spa before, will I get a massage? I could use one, my muscles feel like putty right now." She complained.

"We'll see about that. Are you busy this afternoon?

"I could leave work early," she suggested.

"All right, I'll pick you up later. Have fun at work." And with that she hung up, leaving a happy Alex behind.

First things first, she had to talk to her boss, then to Ivan so she could be excused from tonight's fight, and finally she'll text Tony to let him know she'll be coming home late. Seeing Pepper today was a blessing, because, besides working as an excuse to relax and forget for a while, she could ask her new friend about staying with her. Also, she had lied to Happy for nothing, oh well, there wasn't much she could do about that.

The stars had aligned in her favor and she was going to take advantage of it.

Alex bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. Never in a million years would imagined massages felt this good. Blessed is this man's hand because she was positive she was ascending to heaven. Next to her Pepper muttered a curse as her back made weird noises.

"I could get used to this," Pepper said, her voice mostly drowned by the ambient music.

Alex hummed in response, "A monthly free massage," Alex sighed as his hand released the pressure on her shoulder blades. "It should be included in your contract, you know, for dealing with Tony every day."

Pepper laughed, and raised her neck so she could see Alex when she spoke, "I know, I deserve it." And with that said, she let her head fall in the cushioned chair. "But he's not that bad, once you get used to it." "I agree, he's not that bad. But he could be better, for once, he could include a monthly visit to the spa for his assistant. "

"And her friend," Pepped added with a smile.

Alex smiled, touched by her words, "And her friend," she repeated, mostly to herself.

"Alright ladies, we're done here." He said, sliding his hands down her naked back one last time.

"I think I'm in love,"

"If that's all it takes to win your heart, I worry about your future love life." Pepper teased, adjusting her white robe as she rose from her chair.

Alex followed suit, giggling like a school girl "Hey! You're hurting my feelings."

After seconds of silence Alex spoke, "Can we get ice cream?"

* * *

Pepper dropped her off exactly at 7:37 pm, earlier than Alex had expected, and apparently earlier than Tony expected too, because he looked surprised to see her, he muttered something unintelligent to her and hung up his phone.

"How was your day out?" He asked, once she was close enough.

"It was great! Ms. Pots is incredible, I wish I was as cool as her," she said, sighing sadly.

That perked Tony's interest, "Oh, and what did she do that earned your eternal devotion?"

"We went to get ice cream, and I got dulce de leche because is my favorite and she ordered two scoops of cookies and cream, and guess what?"

Tony raised his brow in questioning, amusement filled his eyes as he internally wondered how Alex could talk so fast, and why was he able to understand her perfectly, "What?" he asked to appease Alex., though he already had an idea of what his assistant had done.

"The poor guy only served her one scoop, and then, she politely and without stuttering she asked for her other scoop!" She exclaimed, moving her arms around for emphasis.

Tony could see the stars dancing in her eyes as she spoke of his assistant like she was a superhero or something.

"Very impressive," he said absently, making his way to sit on the couch and rest his feet on the coffee table. Pepper would kill him if she saw him doing this.

Alex gasped, mildly offended at his quick response and took a seat next to him. "No, you don't understand!" she accused, slightly exasperated.

"Clearly," He muttered, turning on the TV, ignoring the defeated sight Alex let out.

"I could only wish I had her confidence," she whispered and sank further on the couch, "One time I bought a slice of apple pie in a fair, but the guy got confused with another order and gave a coconut one, so I ate it." she said sounding too sad for something so simple.

Tony tilted his head in her direction, furrowing his brows in confusion, "So what's the big deal? You ate the wrong pie, it's not that bad."

"I'm allergic to coconut."

At that, he couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head in disbelieve, "You got it bad." He pointed out and Alex nodded, "Don't worry kid, sooner or later her personality will rub on you," He paused to smirk sideways, "Or my personality will rub on you, either way you'll grow out of it and you'll be eating apple pies in no time."

"If you say so…" She muttered, sounding unsure.

This opportunity was too good to let it slide, "Have you always been like this?" He asked, turning his attention back to the TV to pretend he wasn't keen to know more about her past.

"Yes, since I was a child." She took in a deep breath as if to prepare herself for her next words. "I think you earned the right to hear my sob story. Remember, you asked for it when we first met?" She truly had no idea why was she saying this, but the words had left her mouth before she could fully process them, but since she'll spend 2 months without seeing him, she might as well open up to him.

It was easier said than done, because as soon as she spoke, she was unable to continue, mainly because she had no idea where to even begin to tell her unfortunate tale or how much she was going to reveal, like, she couldn't just toss her hair to the side and talk, because which sane person would believe their universe was a millionaire cinematic franchise and not real, well it was real, she was literally sitting next to Tony Stark of all people. The thing was, she couldn't just say who she was and what she was doing there, (frankly, she didn't know, but he didn't have to know that) so, she rolled her shoulders and raised her chin, she was ready, "I was raised by my grandpa, neither mom nor dad were in the picture." She shrugged, unaffected by her words, "One day she showed up and dropped me there, not once she looked back. Dad was pretty much the same, at least he sent a check monthly. My childhood wasn't as sad as you might think. Grandpa was great, he loved me with everything he had and inherited me his love for good cooking and desserts, it was thanks to him I learned all I know, he worked in a restaurant and taught me what he knew." She stopped, a knot settled in her throat, her eyes started to burn, but she swallowed her tears.

Sensing something was wrong, he rested his hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze to encourage her and to take her time, he wasn't going anywhere, and he'll wait if he had to.

Alex shoulders sagged as she dropped her gaze, finding it easier to relax when she wasn't focusing on Tony, "He died when I was still in high school, the law demanded for me to stay with mom or dad, but only dad showed in court and it was to refuse his custody. That was a low blow, but I was expecting it. They never cared, so why would they now? I still cried though, that's how Kat found me, she's my best friend, the one you saw in my phone." She clarified, even though it wasn't relevant to her story, but her dear friend's name still deserves to be known by Tony stark. Kat would die if she ever found out. "She and her grandma owned a small bakery and needed someone to help around and deliver the cakes. They offered me a home when my own flesh and blood wouldn't bat a lash in my direction. I graduated shortly after that, started going to college and moved back to my old house, it had too many memories to sell it. So I stayed there, till one-"She stopped abruptly. She had dealt with enough emotional trauma for one night to add her impromptu dead and resurrection by a goddess.

She was feeling utterly sick by the time her words caught with her, when her head suddenly collided with something warm, _Tony's chest_ , her mind deduced, he was hugging her, more like trying to, with how awkward and stiff it was, but the sentiment was still present. Alex blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, struggling till she couldn't hold them back anymore.

She relaxed in his hold, she knew he still had many questions, but was being respectful by keeping quiet, she needed time, and when that happens, "Once I get my shit together I'll tell you the rest."

Tony bobbed his head, and squeezed her one more time before letting go. "Okay, I think we need a break from our little session," he rose from his seat and clasped his hands loudly, "Are you in the mood for pizza?"

Alex rubbed her eyes to get rid of the traces of her emotional turmoil before standing next to him, grinning from ear to ear, "I'm always in the mood for pizza,"

Alex went to bed that night with her heart heavy of sorrow and sadness for Tony. He'll be okay, she repeated one last time before closing her eyes.

10 Minutes later, a rapid knock interrupted the silence that reigned in the mansion. Tony yawned and stretched his body as he quietly cursed whoever dared to visit at this time of the night. He squinted his eyes as he peered the digital clock on his nightstand, 3:17 am. He was truly getting old, back in his days at this exact hour he'll be drinking tequila from a girl's navel. That seemed like a lifetime ago, now he ate pizza for dinner and played monopoly with a teenager, and honestly, he wasn't complaining.

He reached the front door with a calmer mind, but was still slightly mad that he was so rudely awaken by an uninvited guest. A snarky remark was ready to slip his lips, but the sight that greeted him when he opened the door was enough to shut him.

"We need to talk about your lady friend," Obadiah said as he walked past him, directly to fix himself a glass of whiskey before sitting down in the same spot Alex had just hours ago. A manila folder was throw in the coffee table, spilling its content for everyone to see. Multiple photos of Alex were there, along with another document he quite read from his distance.

Realizing he hasn't closed the door, he did so, "Well, good night, Obi, thank you for stopping by, but customer service is only open from Monday to Friday till 4:30 pm, and guess what?" he asked, looking down at his wrist to pretend he was reading a none existing watch, "We're already close."

Obadiah pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, he knew Tony would be difficult, yet his resolve remained intact. He adjusted his tie, to show Tony he was being serious, "Since meeting your, newest friend, I took it upon myself to hire a private investigator-"

"Don't bother," He quickly dismissed, as he took a seat cross from him, "Jarvis already did a background check on her. She's clean." He assured, not even bothering to pick the files.

But Obadiah was expecting that, in fact he was counting with Tony being defensive of his accusations, so forcing himself to contain a satisfying grin, he handed one of the files to him.

"I hate being handed things, you should know that by now," Tony said, eyeing the file and then him.

He leaned back, cursing him in his head, as he dropped it on the coffee table. "Go ahead," he motioned with his head. Tony took his sweet time reaching for it, partly to piss of Obi for waking him up in the middle of the night and also because he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what was inside.

He flipped open, scanning it content quickly, he was ready to mock Obi for his investigator horrible job, but paused when a photo caught his attention, a recent photo of Alex fighting in what seemed to be an improvised ring. He swallowed hard as he took in every detail of her bruised body, "When was this taken?" He asked, his eyes still glued to the image.

"Two days ago," Obadiah informed him, "There's more," he added, and handed them to him. Tony barely lifted his gaze for a second and Obadiah recoiled in his seat, before dropping them in the table.

More photos of Alex, and the worst thing was he recognized the clothes she was wearing. So that was the reason she was returning so late at night and refusing Happy's rides. He had hoped it had been something else, but never in his wildest dream would he come out with this.

"They call themselves the nameless, and are an illegal fighting club. They identify themselves with an arrow tattoo, that as you may see," he pointed to one of the photos that showed Alex hitting a bald guy with her right hand. It had been zoomed in, and the arrow tattoo was circled in a bold red marker.

"I know is hard for you," He said in false sympathy, breaking the bubble Tony had enclosed himself in, "But if isn't enough, my investigator got the leader to confess," He fished a recorder out of his jacket inner pocket, pressed a button and waited for the magic to happen.

"Do you know this girl?" A man's voice asked. There was a long pause, before a trembling voice answered.

"Her name is Alexandra," Another man spoke, "Please-"

"Quiet," The investigator warned, "I make the questions here."

"She's been here for a while, one of our greatest fighters. People crowd in the entrance just to see her. She gets up good money," he stopped to catch his breath. A small whine was heard, and he was quick to continue, "Lately she's been telling us about this rich old man she knows, Stark I think is his name. Alex's waiting for him to lower his guard to get rid of him. I ordered her to."

"Good, thank you for telling the truth. The police will deal with you accordingly."

"WAI-"

The audio ended, and Tony was immobile, glued to his seat staring into nothing. His knuckles were white from the force he was gripping the armchair. His jaw was clenched and rage was evident in his eyes. "That's not enough proof," he refuted, still holding in the small hope that it was all a misunderstanding. They had talked not long ago, about her past, but was this the thing she was going to tell him but stopped before she could?

He hated to admit it, but it made sense somehow, it explained many things, but it also brought many questions, if what she told him was true, there should be records of her custody trial, but there was nothing, unless she was lying. Which he hated to admit, was the most obvious possibility. So he had two choices, to believe one of his closes friends for many years, or take a risk with her? It was clearer than water, and to believe she almost fooled him when she ripped his check, and what hurt the most, was that if she had asked, he would have helped her. Money was nothing to him, but to conspire against his and Pepper safety's-Pepper, he had forgotten about her, he had to call her to let her know.

He stood, still holding the photos and went downstairs, he'll have Jarvis scan them to make sure they weren't altered. He needed to be 100 % sure before he made his choice. Behind him, Obadiah waited patiently in his seat, after all, his job was done, and all he had to do now was wait and watch. He wasn't sorry, felt no sympathy for the girl, he had warned her to stay away, but she chose to run her pretty little mouth and now she'll face the consequences. It was her fault, all of it.

If she hadn't given that interview and painted Tony like a saint, maybe he would allow her to leave, but no, it was her fault Tony was gaining more popularity now, it was her doing people were more understanding of his actions. A pity really, if he didn't needed people to hate and forget Tony as soon as he died, she could stay and maybe work as a secretary or assistant to Pots or himself. Poor thing, but this would show her, that if she wanted to play in the big league she had to be ready for anything.

Tony emerged from his lab, pale as a ghost, still clutching the photos tightly, and he jumped to his feet, understanding the silent message. He pulled his phone and dialed, "Good night, I would like to report…"

Tony sank into the couch, and dialed Pepper's number, she had the right to know.

Alex woke up with a pain in her lower back, pee, she had to pee. She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to relieve herself.

When she was done, she walked in a more calmed pace towards the bed, it was still dark, so she deduced it was 4am judging by the lack of sunlight. But just to make sure, "Jarvis?" she called and got no response, frowning, she sat in her bed and slipped her slippers. She didn't know what, but something was wrong, "Jarvis, please answer me," she called again, but no answer came. Filled with fear, she opened her mouth again, but her door abruptly opened.

A scream caught in her throat when three men entered her room. They were fully dressed in cop uniforms, but their demeanor screamed otherwise. The door, her only exit was currently being blocked by a fourth one.

Alex didn't know what to do, all she knew was that she was in danger and she had to fight her way out and find Tony, call Happy and-

Tony's figure appeared in the doorway, accompanied by Pepper and someone else Alex couldn't make out with the cop blocking the door.

"Miss, please accompany us," one of them requested.

She jerked her head in the direction of the voice, "No," she refused, taking a step back, colliding with something solid, and she didn't have to turn around to know it was one of the cops. She was trapped.

"Please, don't make this more difficult," Pepper begged with a broken voice.

Alex looked in her direction, "I don't understand," a heavy hand grabbed her own and fastened a pair of handcuffs in her wrist. Her breaths quickened, she had to run. "Mr. Stark what is happening, who are these people?"

"The game is over kid," he said, stepping in, allowing her to finally see the person behind him.

Obadiah, that disgusting rat, Alex thought angrily. "What game?" she spat harshly as she was being manhandled out of her room, but she planted her feet in the ground, they will have to knock her out if they wanted to get her out of here without a proper answer.

"There's no point in pretending, Obadiah hired a private investigator to follow you and he discovered quite a lot about you,"

Alex paled, "And you believe him?" she asked in disbelief.

"Why wouldn't I. He's been my friend longer than you. But that's not the point, you should thank your boss in the nameless, he was quick to rat you out."

She visibly panicked, wide brown eyes stared pleadingly at him, "It's not what it seems, I-"

A burning sensation in her cheek numbed her senses momentarily as her face turned sideways.

"I offered you my friendship, and you-" she paused to gather herself, "It all makes sense now, why you were afraid of Obadiah, you knew he would find out the truth because Mr. Stark and I were wrapped in your fingers." She spat with so much hurt lacing her words that Alex wanted to apologize to her, even though she wasn't guilty, "Tell me, what you were going to do after you were done?"

Tony intervened, "It doesn't matter now,"

Alex turned to him, desperate to scream the truth, to ask him if he forgot just how hours ago, they were laughing in the living room as she kicked his ass in monopoly. Has he forgotten?

She looked down, and then to Obadiah, she wanted so badly to choke him with her bare hands, but her rational side dismissed that thought, he still had a role to play, whereas her, she was done, she was a replaceable piece. She had no part to play in the bigger picture.

"One day," she spoke quietly, "In two months you'll wake up and realize you made a mistake, and by then it would be too late for me. But remember what I told you Mr. Stark, you'll be fine, no matter how much you want to give up, how much they break you, it all be worth it at the end," she choked with her saliva, the tears clouding her eyes made it hard for her to see his expression, "Please promise me you won't give up no matter what," she begged and he nodded, "I need to hear you,"

"I promise," he said, his tone betrayed no emotion and Alex died on the inside.

Obadiah made a motion with his head, only visible to the man behind her. A sharp pain grew on her back, and this time her eyes weren't clouding because of unshed tears.

Despite her situation she smiled at him, "If I knew you were such a sore loser, I wouldn't have kicked your ass in monopoly." With that, her eyes closed, and she went limp in the cop's arms.

"Well, that was very anticlimactic," Obadiah said, stepping aside and patting Tony on the shoulder, "Get her to the station boys. Don't worry about it Tony, I'll handle it. You take care of your things, remember you have a weapon presentation for the military in days."

* * *

 **let me know your thoughts on this chapter. I'm eager to know your opinions.**

 **Fun fact: I really like fried chicken.**


	8. -read me

(I'm typing from my phone, sorry for any grammar mistake)  
Hello, long time no see, hopefully you're all okay. Unfortunately I don't bring good news. My absent this past months wasn't planned. I feel awful for leaving so suddenly without notice and i would like to apologize to all of you for my lack of updates. From the bottom of my heart i want to let you all know that i haven't stopped thinking about this fic and that all of your lovely reviews mean the world to me.

To keep this short for everyone's sake.. my computer died few months ago after a blackout. I lost all of my important documents,family photos and things i needed for uni (I've long since accepted the fact that i wouldn't see them again) I been trying to save money to no avail, since most pc/ laptops are way out of my budget (like $250 for an used average laptop :/ ) and i can't obviously afford that with my whole salary of $4 per month .. ( yep, you read that right, four, f-o-u-r) i wish i was joking, i really do. But that's the minimum wage in my country and finding a different job wouldn't make much of a difference.

It's been awfully challenging to stay positive since I worked as a freelancer every once in a while to pay for my expenses, not to mention i also used my pc for uni since I was studying to be a graphic designer. Needless to say, i took the decision to drop out for the time being.

Whoever said money doesn't buy happiness was freaking wrong and I would like to whack them in the head with a rock

I'm clinging to the hope that it would get better at some point. It always rains before a rainbow, right ?

I would like to apologize once again, i know you guys were just as excited as I was with this little project. At first i posted without expecting much, but then i started to received such an amazing response that made me so happy and proud. Thank you to each one of you that supported me in any way. I wouldn't made it this far if it weren't for you.

Sorry and thank you for your constant love and support. I sending my blessing and prayers to all of you and your loved ones during this difficult time and remember to wash your hands and not touch your face. Please stay safe.

if i dropped my pay - pall would anyone be interested in donating to help me out? Please send me a private message (PM) if that's the case. sorry if this came the wrong way, i'm desperate rn.

Have a nice day and for the love of everything holy on this universe please **stay inside**

love u all little pumpkins- Adriel G


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